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If you Google the phrase “iconic sports moment,” 1.5 million results pop up in less than a second. “Iconic” may be the most overused word in the sports world. I admit to succumbing to the temptation whenever writing about the iconic Honus Wagner tobacco card or the iconic 1952 Topps Mantle card.
In this case, no other word will suffice. In an auction devoted to the golden age of sports photography, Heritage, the top sports auction house, is selling off two of the most iconic photos in the history of sports collecting. They are the photos that inspired beloved bubblegum cards of Lou Gehrig and Jackie Robinson.
Until the major card companies, Topps and Bowman, began to use full color photography in the early to mid-1950s, artists relied on photographs to illustrate cards. In 1933, the Boston-based Goudey Gum Company rolled out a striking Lou Gehrig card based on an image taken of him during his MVP season in 1927. The brilliant photographer, Charles Conlon, was, according to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, “among the first to regularly shoot baseball games and players, and in doing so he became a singular name in photography.”
Imagine the excitement a young fan would have felt opening a pack and discovering the Iron Horse at the peak of his prowess. By 1933, he had surpassed Babe Ruth as the game’s dominant player, batting .334 with 32 home runs and 140 RBIs. (The next year he would win the Triple Crown.)
The Gehrig photograph is already up to $21,600 (with the buyer’s premium) in the auction, which ends on May 20th. In its catalog description, Heritage declares “this is arguably the most significant ‘trading card-related’ offering we've presented since the photo used for Mickey Mantle's 1951 Bowman commanded $71,700 in July 2015.” This Bowman is Mantle’s true rookie card photo; last week, Heritage sold an example of the Mantle card in near-mint to mint condition for $168,000.
If you're a card collector, you probably recognize this photo from his 1950 Bowman card. This... [+]
The Jackie Robinson photo used for his 1950 Bowman card is also dramatic. Barney Stein, the Brooklyn Dodgers’ photographer from 1937 to 1957, captures Robinson at the end of a practice swing against the backdrop of Ebbets Field’s venerable stands. Nine bids have lifted the price to $3600.
The card derived from Stein’s photo is perhaps the most underrated of Robinson’s eight mainstream issues. It appeared on the heels of his MVP season in which he led the league in hitting .342, and stolen bases, 37. Furthermore the 1950 Bowman, his first full-color card, may well be the most appealing of all his eight, mainstream cards. “That is my favorite Jackie card because of its batting pose,” says Jonathan Celona of Champion Sports Cards & Collectibles. “All his other cards are facial poses. I also like the card because of how small and condition-sensitive it is. I owned an eight (near-mint-mint) once and it’s incredibly tough to get in high-grade.”
Vintage sports photography is one of collecting’s last great frontiers . Last year, Heritage auctioned off 7,462 Charles Conlon negatives once housed at The Sporting News for $1.79 million. “His photography is as much fine art as that of Ansel Adams, uniquely American in style and subject,” says Chris Ivy, Heritage’s director of sports collectibles.
Over the past two decades, this realm of collecting has received a huge boost from photography’s digitalization. “Most sports news photographs have entered through purges of the storage areas of publications that used the photos in print,” Ivy told me. “The Baseball Magazine photographic archive that famously sold at auction over twenty years ago [Christie’s, 1996] was discovered in the basement of the widow of the magazine’s last owner.”
While Ivy notes that the vast majority of photos are owned— and thus consigned— by collectors, there’s still an ample supply on the market to fit any budget. In recent years, I’ve found them at baseball card shows and at flea markets.
Another cheap source for less iconic photos is eBay. As of this posting, there are two appealing wire photos of Mickey Mantle celebrating his grand slam in the 1953 World Series ($495) and his 500th home run ($365). You can find just about any player who put in a few a seasons, even All Stars, for less than $50.
If you’re interested in buying, follow five rules of the road.
*Track down the most desirable photos, which according to the grading company PSA/DNA, are “Type 1-A 1st generation, developed from the original negative, during the period (within approximately two years of when the picture was taken).”
*Distinguish first generation photos by their greater clarity than subsequent prints.
*Look for stamps on the back indicating dates and the photo agency or caption info taped to the back or bottom.
*Seek out important milestones, such as Babe Ruth’s 60th home run in 1927, which are of greater general interest and, therefore, greater value.
*Avoid negative images. A first generation photo of Babe Ruth striking out in the 1922 World Series has no takers on eBay for $975. Nor does one of him being thrown out at home in the 1934 World Series.
I am fortunate to own three vintage wire photos straight from the source. My oldest friend, Fred Oltarsh, had an uncle, Harold Blumenfeld, who was a photo editor at UPI. Forty-five years ago, Fred gave me a few photos of a favorite Met of mine in the early 1970s, outfielder Dave Marshall. The best shows him sliding into home in a cloud of dust
In 2015, Heritage sold this photo for Mantle's rookie for $71,700.
Photo by Heritage /Auctions.Another dear friend, Frank Graham, Jr., gave me a 16 x 20 Barney Stein photo he acquired while working as the Brooklyn Dodgers press secretary during the early 1950s. It, too, shows an exciting play at the plate. Carl Furillo barrels into Cardinals catcher Joe Garagiola at home plate.
I hang all of these photos on my office wall because they are such beautiful display pieces, After all, their original purpose was to provide pleasure to millions of newspaper and magazine readers.
