Everyone knows that Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker were two of the bad boys of baseball. They played hard, lived hard, and left few friends in their wake but they were respected. Stories abound about the two players, especially Cobb, and both were banned for a short time period during a gambling scandal as well. Pictured here, possibly about the time the scandal broke, these two seem to be pretty upset that their conversation had been interrupted by a photographer wanting a picture. They responded in classic fashion , each showing their disdain in a different offensive way. Speaker is smiling while sticking his hand down the front of his pants, however Cobb's gesture is a bit more subtle and more terrible. If you look at the handle of his bat, he is clearly flipping the bird (sticking out his middle finger) to the photographer. An amazing photograph which he have never seen or heard of in the hobby, stamped on the back by NEA, this is likely the only example that has survived and possibly the only one that was struck off the negative. Despite some chipping of the surface, it presents pretty well and considering the subtle content, this is quite the story teller! An exciting image that is being offered here to the public for the first time ever. Note the image was developed backwards intentionally so the photo could be engraved for the newspaper but we are guessing that since it pictures a pretty controversial pair of gestures, this was never done!

Size: 8x9.75
Designation: Vintage 1
Condition: 1.5/5
Quality: 5/5
Overall Grade: 6.5/10