1920s Major League Baseball POSTER - BABE RUTH! RARE! Start Price USD 10,500.00 Current Price USD 10,500.00 Time Left 21 days 4 hours 19 minutes Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Tuesday, October 14, 2008 End Time Saturday, December 13, 2008 Location Studio City, Calif. See more about '1920s Major League Baseball POSTER - BABE RUTH! RARE!' Description * * * * *   AUTHENTIC!! - KIKI CUYLER - HACK WILSON - LEFTY GROVE!   Offered here for sale is one of the very best and RAREST original vintage sports memorabilia posters ever to surface on the collecting market - AN ORIGINAL 1920's ASSOCIATED NEWS SERVICE WINDOW CARD POSTER - FEATURING MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL. Babe Ruth, Mickey Cochrane, Jimmy Foxx, Lefty Grove, Hack Wilson, Kiki Cuyler ALL IN THEIR PRIME!!   THE ASSOCIATED NEWS SERVICE regularly issued these posters to hang in merchant's windows during the 1920's and early 1930's. They changed stories and pictures frequently as the news changed. Fashion, Aviation, Hollywood, Science, Sports, etc. were all represented by posters issued by the service. It is unknown if they issued other Major League Baseball posters as this is the only one ever to surface. It is one of the rarest if not the rarest poster of its kind. A remarkable item, coveted for years! This is probably the last chance to acquire this item.. It was found with other (non baseball) posters - ALL from the 1920's. I believe this to be from 1928.   In researching this poster on BaseballLibrary website, I did find a reference to "The Associated News Service" and this quote, "An article by the Associated News Service appeared in 1919 about the team, and in 1920 they were featured in a New York Times mid-week pictorial."   Vintage posters from this pre-depression era are near IMPOSSIBLE to find. Most were destroyed in paper drives for WWII. Posters with the original frames are pretty much NON-EXISTENT! This is a true rarity. It is most likely the only surviving original. It doesn't get rarer than this - Or nicer! (poster is sold without the wooden frame & card at top - Photo #1 of the poster in frame is to show how the poster was originally displayed) I have found only a few sales results for Babe Ruth posters from this vintage. They range from over $31,000 to $138,000. I believe this display falls somewhere between or possibly at the top level due to fact this item focuses on Major League Baseball and features 5 other baseball Hall-Of-Famers besides the Babe!   Recently a restored Babe Ruth insert movie poster (14x36 inches) on "The Babe Comes Home," sold on eBay for over $31,000 - Item number: 280046257079. This was a poster for a 1927 fiction movie Babe Ruth starred in for First National Pictures. It was a nice poster but nothing like this actual Major League item. Also, this News Service poster did not need expert restoration like the $31,000 insert did. It is in its original untouched condition - NO TOUCH-UP!!!! Only a few fine hairline tears have been mended by simply taping them from the back with reversible acid-free archival document repair tape (see photo #7). The tape is transparent and is very hard to see. I have posted a picture of the front and back of the poster (see photo #3 & #6).    Below is some Hall-Of-Fame info on the players featured on this poster:   Babe Ruth George Herman Ruth The Bambino, The Sultan of Swat   Induction Information Elected to Hall of Fame by Baseball Writers in 1936, Player 215 votes on 226 ballots   95.13% Hall of Fame plaque for Babe Ruth   Born: February 6, 1895, in Baltimore, Maryland Died: August 16, 1948, in New York, New York   ML Debut: 7/11/1914 Primary Position: Right Fielder Bats: L   Throws: L   Primary Uniform #: 3   Played For: Boston Red Sox (1914-1919), New York Yankees (1920-1934), Boston Braves (1935) Primary Team: New York Yankees   Post-Season: 1915 World Series, 1916 World Series, 1918 World Series, 1921 World Series, 1922 World Series, 1923 World Series, 1926 World Series, 1927 World Series, 1928 World Series, 1932 World Series Awards: All-Star (2): 1933-1934; 1923 American League Most Valuable Player Hitting   Bio George Herman "Babe" Ruth was an American original, baseball's first great slugger and the most celebrated athlete of his time. The southpaw hurler debuted with the Red Sox, winning 89 games in six years while setting the World Series record for consecutive scoreless innings. "The Sultan of Swat" converted to the outfield full-time after his sale to the Yankees in 1920 and led New York to seven American League pennants and four World Series titles. He finished with 714 home runs, leading the league 12 times, including a remarkable 60 round-trippers in 1927.   Quote "Some 20 years ago, I stopped talking about the Babe for the simple reason that I realized that those who had never seen him didn't believe me."    — sportswriter Tommy Holmes   Did You Know... that Babe Ruth earned his nickname during spring training of 1914 when teammates on the minor league Baltimore Orioles began referring to him as owner Jack Dunn’s new "babe?"  Kiki Cuyler Hazen Shirley Cuyler   Induction Information Elected to Hall of Fame by Veterans Committee in 1968, Player   Hall of Fame plaque for Kiki Cuyler   Born: August 30, 1898, in Harrisville, Michigan Died: February 11, 1950, in Ann Arbor, Michigan   ML Debut: 9/29/1921 Primary Position: Right Fielder Bats: R   Throws: R     Played For: Pittsburgh Pirates (1921-1927), Chicago Cubs (1928-1935), Cincinnati Reds (1935-1937), Brooklyn Dodgers (1938) Primary Team: Chicago Cubs   Post-Season: 1925 World Series, 1929 World Series, 1932 World Series Awards: All-Star 1934 Hitting   Bio Hazen Shirley "Kiki" Cuyler combined speed and a knack for seeing-eye base hits in a 15-season career, excelling as a gifted outfield. Cuyler hit above .300 in 10 years, topping .350 four times. He also led the National League in stolen bases four times and played on four pennant winning teams. In 1925, he enjoyed a brilliant season - batting .357 while leading the league in triples (26) and runs scored (144) - topped off by driving in the Pirates' winning run off Walter Johnson in the World Series.   Quote "Cuyler can hit, run, field and throw with the best of 'em. What a great ballplayer he is."    — Fred Hoey   Did You Know... that Kiki Cuyler hit two inside-the-park home runs in the diminutive confines of Philadelphia's Baker Bowl on August 28, 1925?   Hack Wilson Lewis Robert Wilson   Induction Information Elected to Hall of Fame by Veterans Committee in 1979, Player Hall of Fame plaque for Hack Wilson   Born: April 26, 1900, in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania Died: November 23, 1948, in Baltimore, Maryland   ML Debut: 9/29/1923 Primary Position: Center Fielder Bats: R   Throws: R     Played For: New York Giants (1923-1925), Chicago Cubs (1926-1931), Brooklyn Dodgers (1932-1934), Philadelphia Phillies (1934) Primary Team: Chicago Cubs   Post-Season: 1924 World Series, 1929 World Series   Hitting   Bio Hack Wilson's career was relatively short, much like his stature, but he packed a wallop in his prime. A winner of four home run titles while with the Cubs, his 1930 season still inspires awe - 191 RBI (the all-time major league record), 56 home runs (a National League record for 68 years) and a .356 batting average. Although remembered as a power hitter with 244 home runs and 1,063 RBI, Wilson also totaled an impressive .307 career batting average over 12 major league seasons.   Quote "For years, it was impossible for me to look at any round outfielder who could hit a long ball without deciding I had found myself another Hack Wilson."    — Bill Veeck   Did You Know... that "Hack" Wilson is reputed to have received his nickname because of his resemblance to internationally famous Russian weightlifter and pro wrestler George Hackenschmidt?   Mickey Cochrane Gordon Stanley Cochrane Black Mike   Induction Information Elected to Hall of Fame by Baseball Writers in 1947, Player 128 votes on 161 ballots   79.5% Hall of Fame plaque for Mickey Cochrane   Born: April 6, 1903, in Bridgewater, Massachusetts Died: June 28, 1962, in Lake Forest, Illinois   ML Debut: 4/14/1925 Primary Position: Catcher Bats: L   Throws: R   Played For: Philadelphia Athletics (1925-33), Detroit Tigers (1934-37) Primary Team: Philadelphia Athletics Managed: Detroit Tigers (1934-38)   Post-Season: 1929 World Series, 1930 World Series, 1931 World Series, 1934 World Series, 1935 World Series Awards: All-Star 1934-1935; American League Most Valuable Player 1928, 1934 Hitting   Bio Mickey Cochrane batted .320 during his 13-year career and excelled behind the plate, but he also possessed that special trait - a fierce, competitive spirit - which gave him exceptional leadership qualities. "Black Mike" was the spark of the Athletics' pennant-winning teams of 1929, '30 and '31, hitting .331, .357 and .349, respectively. As player-manager for the Detroit Tigers from 1934 to 1937, he directed them to a league championship in 1934 and the World Series title in '35. A beaning in 1937 ended his playing career.   Quote "There were few things as exciting as watching somebody trying to get in there on a close play with Cochrane. Home plate was his, you see. You had to take it away from him. Tough? Just the same as a piece of flint."    — Doc Cramer   Did You Know... that Mickey Cochrane hit a home run in the last official at bat of his major league career?   Hall of Fame Teammate: Lefty Grove   Lefty Grove Robert Moses Grove   Induction Information Elected to Hall of Fame by Baseball Writers in 1947, Player 123 votes on 161 ballots   76.4% Hall of Fame plaque for Lefty Grove   Born: March 6, 1900, in Lonaconing, Maryland Died: May 22, 1975, in Norwalk, Ohio   ML Debut: 4/14/1925 Primary Position: Pitcher Bats: L   Throws: L   Primary Uniform #: 10   Played For: Philadelphia A's (1925-1933), Boston Red Sox (1934-1941) Primary Team: Philadelphia Athletics   Post-Season: 1929 World Series, 1930 World Series, 1931 World Series Awards: All-Star (6): 1933, 1935-1939; American League Most Valuable Player 1931 Pitching   Bio High-strung Robert Moses "Lefty" Grove was the backbone of the Philadelphia Athletics' dynasty of 1929 to 1931, with an astonishing 79-15 record over those three Triple Crown seasons. He topped the American League in wins four times, winning percentage five times and strikeouts seven consecutive times. Most impressive, are his nine ERA titles, easily the greatest total in history. He won 112 games for the minor-league Baltimore Orioles, in addition to his 300 major-league victories.   Quote "His fastball was so fast that by the time you'd made up your mind whether it would be a strike or not, it just wasn't there anymore."    — Charlie Gehringer   Did You Know... that Lefty Grove made his major league debut on the same day as his teammate and future Hall of Fame catcher Mickey Cochrane, April 14, 1925?   Jimmie Foxx James Emory Foxx The Beast, Double-X   Induction Information Elected to Hall of Fame by Baseball Writers in 1951, Player 179 votes on 226 ballots   79.2% Hall of Fame plaque for Jimmie Foxx   Born: October 22, 1907, in Sudlersville, Maryland Died: July 21, 1967, in Miami, Florida   ML Debut: 5/1/1925 Primary Position: First Baseman Bats: R   Throws: R   Primary Uniform #: 3   Played For: Philadelphia A's (1925-1935), Boston Red Sox (1936-1942), Chicago Cubs (1942, 1944), Philadelphia Phillies (1945) Primary Team: Philadelphia Athletics   Post-Season: 1929 World Series, 1930 World Series, 1931 World Series Awards: All-Star (9): 1933-1941; American League Most Valuable Player 1932, 1933 and 1938 Hitting   BioA fearsome power hitter whose strength earned him the moniker "The Beast," Jimmie Foxx was the anchor of an intimidating Philadelphia Athletics lineup that produced pennant winners from 1929 to 1931. The second batter in history to top 500 home runs, Foxx belted 30 or more homers in 12 consecutive seasons and drove in more than 100 runs 13 consecutive years, including a career-best 175 with Boston in 1938. He won back-to-back MVP awards in 1932 and '33, capturing the Triple Crown the latter year.   Quote "He had great powerful arms, and he used to wear his sleeves cut off way up, and when he dug in and raised that bat, his muscles would bulge and ripple."    — Ted Lyons   Did You Know... that Jimmie Foxx holds the record for most walks in a big league game with six on June 16, 1938?         Place a Bid!