1919 Action photograph of Ray Chapman of the Cleveland Indians and posing at the ballpark for photographer Charles Conlon. The image was used in the 1920 Spalding guide as has been written on the front paper sleeve by Conlon himself, the image is strong and bold with a small bit of the glass chipped off, but it is still present. Images of Chapman are extremely rare and this glass plate represents one of his greatest pieces of photography that exists. The photo negative is housed in the original sleeve (front only) from Charles Conlon and it contains his handwritten notes as well which are a fantastic touch. Glass plate negatives from Conlon are extremely rare in the hobby as the vast majority were housed in the archives of the Sporting News and subsequently sold as an entire group to an institution. Very few have ever hit the open market and this is a major name figure in the history of the game (died in 1920) making it especially desirable. The rarity and significance of this piece can not be overstated as we have sold nearly two thousand Conlon images in the last eight years and have seen another two or three thousand in other collections, but we can count the number of his original plates we have personally seen in the hobby on one hand!

Size: 4x6
Designation: Vintage 1
Condition: /5
Quality: /5
Overall Grade: /10