Two 117-year-old images of Hall of Fame pitcher Christy Mathewson and what might be the photo used to create Lou Gehrig’s 1934 Goudey baseball cards are among the top items in the Fall Collectors catalog at RMY Auctions.
The auction includes over 1,000 vintage photos across sports, news and entertainment.
The Mathewson photos date to the files of Underwood & Underwood, one of the premier outlets for photographic distribution at the time. One of the two 5×7 images shows Mathewson posed in front of wooden dugout. The clarity is strong enough to where fine details of the wood can be clearly seen when the image is enlarged. The other pictures the New York Giants ace warming up prior to a game.
The 8×10 Gehrig photo dates to 1928 and shows the familiar smiling image of Gehrig appears likely to be the same one used by the artist whose painting was used to produce Gehrig’s #37 card in Goudey’s baseball set produced 89 years ago.
The photo is missing its top left corner and has some creasing from use, likely by newspaper editors of the time. According to RMY, it’s a newly discovered photo that is making its auction debut. There are two handwritten dates in pencil on the back and a handwritten notation stating “Lou Gehrig, the hard hitting first baseman.”
There are 49 photos in the auction featuring either Gehrig or Babe Ruth (or both). One Underwood & Underwood image dates to spring training, 1920, in Jacksonville, FL and shows the young Ruth on the golf course prior to his first season with the Yankees. It includes a full paper caption still attached to the back.
Another newly uncovered rarity dates to the 1914 World Series and shows members of Boston’s “Miracle Braves” in the dugout, including manager George Stallings and Hall of Famer Johnny Evers. The 5 ¼” x 7 1/4” photo also carries handwritten notes and identification on the back.
Another notable item is a 1919 photo of the National League champion Cincinnati Reds, who would defeat Chicago’s infamous “Black Sox” in the World Series. The entire team is pictured in uniform after winning the pennant and the paper caption on the back references the upcoming World Series.
The auction is set to run through Nov. 4 at RMYAuctions.com.
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