Masterpieces and Uncommon Commons XXVIII
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on:
7/30/2010
In the 1890’s, many of the women’s professional baseball clubs began fielding teams with a “Bloomer” designation due to the baggy Turkish style baseball pants worn by the girl players. While predominately female, each “Bloomer” team would field approximately one to three men, with the immortal Rogers Hornsby and Joe Wood once playing with a Bloomer ball club before embarking on their legendary Major League career. Oddly enough, women teams seldom played against each other, but rather typically competed against men’s town, semi-pro, college, and minor league teams in the U.S., Canada and even Japan. Among the vast number of renowned players, arguably the premier player was pitcher and 3rd baseman Maud Nelson. Nelson’s playing days are traced back to the tender age of 16, when she started her official career with the Boston Bloomers in 1897. Over the next 30 years, while she played for several Bloomer and men teams, including the Cherokee Indian Base Ball Club owned by her husband, John B. Olson, her most significant contribution may have been as a promoter of women’s baseball. In 1911, she and her husband organized several franchises including what is, arguably, the greatest Bloomer team ever, the “Western Bloomer Girls”. However, well before this team evolved, other barnstorming franchises had already utilized the name “Western Bloomer” for their popular teams. One of those storied franchises was based out of Kansas City, Kansas, and in the summer of 1906 their popularity skyrocketed when they just happened to pick up a 16 year old flame throwing right handed pitcher named Joe Wood. Raised in Ness County, Kansas, in the summer of 1906 Joe Wood was pitching for the Ness local town team against a “Western Bloomer” ball club. The owner was immediately infatuated with the 16 year old pitching sensation and offered him a $21 per week salary to join his popular “Western Bloomers” girls/men team. While Wood only pitched for the Bloomers approximately one month, he was able to partake in an incredible 1906 team picture in St. Augustine, Florida, leading to this outstanding “circa” 1906 postcard offering. Sepia-toned and measuring approximately 3-7/16 x 5-1/2”, the postcard includes the immortal “Smoky” Joe Wood standing fifth from left, adorning his period style cap and sweater. Further validating the circa 1906 period is the “UNDIVIDED” postcard back. Advanced postcard experts agree that undivided postcards backs are only seen on pre-1907 issues with this offering irrefutably falling into that category.
Currently un-cataloged, this ultra sparse antiquity is one of only a few remaining specimens known. Imagine, a women’s league postcard including one of baseball’s most dominating fastball pitcher’s ever to toe the rubber! After Wood’s brief appearance with the 1906 Western Bloomers, in 1907 he moved on to the Hutchinson Salt Packers of the Western Association Class C League. Finally in 1908 after playing with the Kansas City Blues of the American Association, he was promoted to the Boston Red Sox with whom he established his iconic status. Although his career was cut short due to arm woes, at peak value Joe Wood was one of the hardest throwers in baseball history. Even the immortal fireballer Walter “Big Train” Johnson was once quoted “Nobody throws harder than “Smoky” Joe Wood”! In 1912, Wood put together one of the greatest seasons in baseball history, winning 34 games against only 5 losses, leading the Red Sox to their second World Championship. Notably, this historic photo is listed in Ken Burn’s (and Geoffrey C. Ward’s) mega popular “Illustrated History of Baseball” book. However, it should be noted that the book inadvertently depicts the far player in the right as Joe Wood, rather than the correct fifth player from the left (this has been confirmed with “Smoky Joe Wood’s great grandson, Dave Wood). The unused postcard, itself, is in outstanding condition, providing fine sepia-toned contrast and clarity for the men and women included in the image. Particularly interesting are the period style uniforms worn by the women players including their military fashioned jackets. The period style trolley car provides a splendid vintage luster, and the white typography below the players clearly reads: “WESTERN BLOOMER GIRLS-ST. AUGUSTINE, FLA.”. The un-cancelled reverse side is relatively clean with only some minor soiling situated along the upper right edge, and includes the seldom seen pre-1907 undivided back. The corners still sustain a majority of their original square shape, both surfaces have managed to evade obtrusive damage, and no major creases are evident. The only technical stigma is a “rough” right edge cut including some peripheral surface loss that barely impedes on the superb overall aesthetics radiating from this obscurity. If you are relentlessly pursuing eclectic pre-war cardboard relics, only a handful of type cards could possibly match the sheer paucity level of this nearly unique offering!
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