Tim Keefe began his MLB career in 1880 with the Troy team , posting one of the most impressive rookie pitching campaigns ever , including a stillstanding record ERA of 0.86 in 105 innings pitched despite only a 6-6 record . After spending two more superb seasons with the Trojans , Keefe spent 1883-84 with the New York Metropolitans before moving on to the New York Giants club in 1885 for the next six seasons , winning the pitching triple crown in 1888 . Tim would close out his MLB career with the Philadelphia Phillies from 1891-93 , compiling an amazing 342-225 win-loss record , a career ERA of 2.62 and 2,562 strikeouts . Keefe was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1964 .
Mickey Welch also began his professional baseball career with Troy from 1880-82 before moving on to the New York Giants in 1883 , where he would spend the entire remainder of his MLB career . Mickey retired after the 1892 season with a record of 307-210 along with a 2.71 ERA and 1,850 strikeouts . Welch was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973 .
Cabinet card is 4.25x6.5 ”. Cardboard mount has moderate corner tip wear with some surface paper loss . Scattered edge creases affecting mount and applied albumen photograph notably at top center and right center areas more visible on back than front . Top right field of image has thin and faint half moon stains seen in reflected light and mentioned for extreme accuracy . Image remains distinct with good contrast and clarity . Fine overall considering its age and composition .
Since no other photographic memorabilia has ever surfaced depicting this groundbreaking National League club , one could easily surmise that the value of this memento is priceless . You don ’ t want to pass up the opportunity to own the only known example of this 19th century team comprised of four future Baseball HOFers , all making their MLB debuts only a year earlier . ( P ) $ 5,000.00
588 . 1909 W601 SPORTING LIFE PHILADELPHIA ATHLETICS PREMIUM WITH JOE JACKSON ROOKIE PLUS FIVE HOFERS . Presented here is one of the most significant of all of the Sporting Life baseball premiums issued between 1902 and 1911 . Designated as W601 in the American Card Catalogue , these team composite treasures measured 13x14 ” and sold for a dime a piece postpaid . Player portraits are typically identified by name and position and surround the manager ’ s image at center . An amazing five National Baseball Hall of Famers are pictured on this premium : Connie Mack , Eddie Plank , Chief Bender , Eddie Collins as well as a rookie year image of Frank “ Home Run ” Baker . However , the true highlight of this piece which brings it to an entirely different level of collectability is the inclusion of a 21 year old rookie named “ Shoeless Joe ” Jackson . Shoeless Joe had only appeared in his first five MLB games for the A ’ s the previous season , 1908 , which was also the time frame when all of these player composite photos were taken . Once again , Jackson would only appear in a total of five games for Philadelphia in 1909 . Unfortunately , Jackson ’ s time with the A ’ s would prove to be very short lived as he would leave the team following the 1909 season and join the Cleveland Indians prior to the start of the 1910 baseball season . Given these two extremely short stints with the ball club , it is hard to fathom that Shoeless Joe was even included on this incredible relic .
Trimmed to 9x10.5 ” missing just the wide border these premiums had . Front has noticeable dust soiling . 1.5 ” tear at top that partially runs across Coombs has tape repair on the reverse . There is a . 5 ” tear to left of Mack image on the letters “ BA ” of “ Baseball .” Four other . 5 ” or so margin tears , three with tape repairs on the reverse . Several scattered tiny holes seen when held to light . Other random wear , so while this is offered as just “ Authentic ” what is most important are the images and these are all bold , strong and distinct .
Over the past few years , the sports card hobby has witnessed an explosion in popularity , primarily focusing on the most iconic players in the history of their respective sports . Among all-time baseball greats , there aren ’ t many ballplayers that can compare to Shoeless Joe Jackson in terms of not only his playing ability and on-field accomplishments but also the tragic story of his involvement with the 1919 Chicago Black Sox scandal and subsequent World Series loss to the Cincinnati Reds . As a result , Jackson was banned from professional baseball in 1920 by Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis and remains ineligible for induction to Baseball ’ s Hall of Fame to this day . While Shoeless Joe ’ s widely recognized traditional rookie card , the E90-1 American Caramel commands prices well into the five-figures these days even in the lowest grades , this W601 Sporting Life premium presents a golden opportunity for the savvy collector to pick up a more affordable rookie year option for Shoeless Joe . ( L ) $ 1,000.00
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