When fans and collectors think about Jimmie Foxx, the image that comes to mind is usually one where he’s wearing the uniform of the Philadelphia Athletics or Boston Red Sox. Foxx, though, would appear in 85 games for the Chicago Cubs, where his sad decline would relegate him mostly to pinch hitting appearances.
RMY Auctions has uncovered one of the very few original photographs of Foxx wearing Cubbie blue. The 7×9 World Wide Photos image is one of over 450 photos in the company’s newest auction.
Fox had been an American League legend from the late 1920s through 1940, racking up impressive numbers. He recorded 12 straight seasons of 30 or more homers and as late as 1939 he had pounded a team record 50 while hitting .360.
Injuries, a nasty divorce and a decline in his play followed however, and during the 1942 season, he was sold to the Cubs for just $10,000. Foxx played in 70 games for the Cubs, hitting just three homers and driving in 19 while hitting a paltry .205. The photo appears to show Foxx swinging and missing at a pitch—an appropriate snapshot of a frustrating time in his Hall of Fame career.
Foxx would sit out the 1943 season and head back to Philadelphia where he closed out his career in a part-time role for the Phillies in 1944.
Images of Foxx in uniform with Chicago are almost impossible to find. Auction officials say the offered photo is the only example from the 1942 season they have ever seen.
Bidding closes Saturday at RMYAuctions.com.
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