Easily among the greatest images ever taken of a youthful Mel Ott, this is a tremendous posed photograph at the ballpark in full uniform from Spring Training. At 18 years old, he had all the promise in the World and the affectionate coddling of Manager John McGraw. He would be brought along slowly playing only 35 games in 1926 and 82 in 1927. He would end with over 500 career Home Runs but when THIS image was taken, he had yet to hit a single Homer in the Major Leagues! Detailed and bold, it is rare to know the exact date an image was taken but luckily we have a record of just such an occurrence as the photographer at Wide World Photos has noted the day he took the image as April 12, 1927 on the back. Secondary stamp (and date) from the Central Press is when the photo was filed later and not when it was taken. Condition is quite nice with three small pinholes and a small corner chip. For the collector who wants the best, this is it! This photo sold for $2709 in our July 2014 auction.

Size: 7x9.75
Designation: Vintage 1
Condition: 3.5/5
Quality: 5/5
Overall Grade: 8.5/10