Legendary August Live 2010
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on:
8/5/2010
Encapsulated and assessed “Authentic” by SGC, one of just two copies validated by that company. Today, the phrase "Players League" seems oddly quaint. With superstar salaries in the tens of millions per year in modern times, it’s hard to believe that, in 1890, the players felt that they had no choice except to form their own league in order to relieve themselves of the sting from the owners' lash. This is a rare original photograph of the Boston entry from that one-year Players League experiment. The Boston Reds featured such stars as Hardie Richardson, Billy Nash, Harry Stovey, Dan Brouthers, Hoss Radbourn and King Kelly -- who managed the team, and even registered a win pitching in relief. It was no shock that this lineup won the league's only championship. The offered cabinet photo, produced by G. Waldon Smith of Boston and situated on a printed mount, pictures 16 players in their home uniforms. There is scattered discoloration from age-toning on the irregularly cut, approximately 5-3/8” x 3-3/4” mount; the 2-3/4” x 4”, centerpiece photo remains untouched by this effect, and projects EX/MT quality. The mount’s otherwise blank back carries a stamping that states the full name and address of the Smith studio. This is an intriguing and rare tableau of the Champs of a once-proud league – an organization that foreshadowed the time when the players arguably hold a balance of power in the game.
1890 G. Waldon Smith “Boston Reds - Players League” Cabinet Featuring Kelly, Radbourn and Brouthers – SGC Authentic
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