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Lot # 107: 1920 Cal McVey, "Portrait of a Baseball Pioneer" Important New Discovery

Starting Bid: $25.00

Bids: 5 (Bid History)

Time Left: Auction closed
Lot / Auction Closed




This lot is closed. Bidding is not allowed.

Item was in Auction "Spring Collectors Auction 2023",
which ran from 4/11/2023 12:00 AM to
4/29/2023 8:00 PM



Cal McVey is one of the greatest casualties of baseball's bias against the earliest stars of its game. Unlike other Halls of Fame, the Baseball version tends to overpopulate itself with players starting in 1876 and ignoring the greatest stars from a few years earlier. Cal McVey was without a doubt one of the greatest (if not THE greatest) of Baseballs earliest stars from the 1860's-1870's. A member of the famed 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings, the dynasty Boston Red Stockings of the 1870's and also a pioneer of the game on the West Coast as well. As a catcher, McVey was often subjected to foul tips and the ensuing broken fingers that plagued early catchers. In 1920, at the ripe old age of 70 McVey posed for a skilled photographer (stamped on the back from B.W. Hellings of San Francisco) in the only post-career image of the superstar we have ever seen. Photo is beautifully done and aside from some creasing, it is a wonderful example. This is the ONLY example of this photo to ever surface and it is a new discovery recently pulled from an archive where it has sat for nearly 100 years. Don't miss this opportunity to add a true work of art to your gallery!

Size: 5x7
Designation: Vintage 1
Condition: 4/5
Quality: 5/5
Overall Grade: 9/10

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