Masterpieces and Uncommon Commons XXV
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on:
2/12/2010
Did you ever wonder about the early origins of some of our National pastime’s greatest stars? With regard to baseball’s greatest pitcher ever, Walter “Big Train” Johnson, many collectors and fans surely ponder where he was unleashing his fastball before he wrecked havoc on Major League baseball fields. Johnson’s first real claim to fame occurred when he struck out an astounding 27 batters for his Fullerton High School team in a 15 inning game. His family eventually moved from California to Weiser, Idaho where he joined the Idaho State League in 1906 and was virtually unhittable, pitching baseballs at a speed never before seen within the baseball community. It wasn’t long before Johnson was branded “The “Weiser Wonder”, striking out an alarmingly excessive number of hitters that simply looked helpless at the plate. It didn’t take long for professional scouts to catch wind of this 19 year old phenom, and in July of 1907 Johnson was signed by the Washington Senators and embarked on an unparalleled Major League pitching career, eventually earning him a charter member place in baseball’s illustrious Hall of Fame along with Ruth, Cobb, Wagner and Mathewson!
Due to Johnson’s incredible success and popularity in Weiser, Idaho, in 1907 a Weiser based company issued a postcard of this pitching marvel, titling it “Walter Johnson - The Weiser Wonder, depicting Johnson in a “blue tint” Weiser uniform at the tender age of 18. We cannot overemphasize the significance of this pre-Major League issue of the “Big Train”. Currently there are two other minor league baseball cards that have achieved eternal immortality, those being Babe Ruth’s 1914 Baltimore news issue and the 1933 Zeenuts Joe DiMaggio picturing the Yankee legend in a San Francisco Seals uniform. Unquestionably, this miraculous Walter Johnson cardboard artifact should merit a place alongside those two aforementioned cards. To the best of our knowledge, there is only one other Weiser Wonder “Blue Tint” example that currently resides in a private collection, with only one recorded copy included on all major grading companies’ population reports. Courtesy of Goodwin & Company, that sole copy is now being offered here in a PSA “Authentic” holder as the only graded specimen on the planet!
The 1907 – 1909 Novelty Cutlery Walter Johnson is considered by many enthusiasts as Walter Johnson’s rookie card, and that may be true, but this unfathomable offering is undeniably the “Big Train’s” first known card ever issued! Furthermore, this exact specimen was owned by Walter Johnson himself, and later resided within his family for nearly a full century, eventually owned by Johnson’s grandson Hank Thomas who has provided a letter of authenticity. Imagine; the first public issue of baseball’s finest pitcher BEFORE commencing his renowned career with Washington. The card itself has been deemed “authentic” due to an avid fan writing to Walter Johnson along the right side of the card in black fountain pen “Your picture is on the wall at the town’s Cigar Store”, with Johnson retaining the hallowed card for his personal collection. This, however, in no manner negates the superb eye appeal emanating from Johnson’s stoic full body pose, including his “dead-ball” era baseball glove affixed to his left hand. Due to the ornate style background, it appears as if this picture was taken at a photo studio with the blue tint contrast and registration still retaining their original superior state. Several vertical creases approximately 1” to 1-1/2” in length run through the center portion of the postcard with some diminutive areas of surface loss. The corners reflect a century of handling with the upper two corners exhibiting some layer as well as chipping along the upper edge. The final technical blemish is some paper loss evident on the postcard reverse side, particularly neat the card’s center area, yet all of the combined flaws do not detract from the overall aesthetic splendor of this timeless artifact. While it is certainly our responsibility to fully disclose this or any card’s prevalent flaws, keep in mind that the technical aspects of this unique offering play a secondary role to its sheer existence. As they state in the hobby for any rarity: “just try and find another one”! Such is the case for this Walter Johnson world class masterpiece that serves as a link to the evolution of the “grand old ball game”, effectively transcending us back to his “turn of the century” youthful innocence. In closing, this may be the final opportunity to claim ownership of a virtually “one of a kind” keepsake that should eternally rest as the centerpiece of a “World Class” collection!
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