The 1927 Yankees are generally considered the greatest team in baseball history and as such, collectibles associates with this team are highly sought after. Images of Ruth and Gehrig are relatively easy to find; its the short timers or the bench warmers who provide the most difficulty is locating. Enter Eddie Bennett, the popular 1927 Yankees "hunchback" batboy. Eddie lived a hard life, suffering a spinal injury as a baby in an accident that involved his baby carriage, then losing both parents to the Spanish Flu Epidemic of 1918. He became friends with 1919 White Sox player Happy Felsch and a result was invited to become the good luck charm of the team as its mascot. After the scandal that involved the White Sox, Bennett moved to the Brooklyn Robins in 1920 and helped them win the pennant. Seeing how "lucky" Bennett was, Col. Jacob Ruppert convinced him to come to the New York Yankees and help the team as its batboy and good luck charm. It worked! Bennett became friends with the players and even sat beside Miller Huggins on the bench and helped him form strategies. He is sometimes credited as being baseball's first "Bench Coach". The offered image of Bennett is a fantastic specimen from Underwood and Underwood, issued through the American League Service Bureau and stamped on the back. This is the only known example of this image we have ever seen and it is one of only a handful known of Bennett where he was pictured alone. Condition and quality make this an investment grade 10/10 from 1928!

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