Former Philadelphia Athletics and Boston Red Sox infielder Jack Barry is the subject on a unique pre-war collectible. Here’s a bit more on this interesting issue from 1919 and 1920.
Who Was Jack Barry?
Jack Barry’s name will be familiar to many pre-war collectors. He is found in a variety of early tobacco and candy baseball card sets. Barry was also considered to be one of the Philadelphia Athletics’ many star players in the early-mid 1910s.
Barry was only a career .243 hitter and did not lead the league in offensive categories. However, many accounts cite him as an underrated hitter. His SABR biography, for example, notes that the infielder had an unusual ability for clutch hitting. Ty Cobb reportedly called him the team’s most-feared hitter. Manager Hughie Jennings apparently said he would rather have Barry over any .400 hitter. Given that the Athletics teams included some fantastic batsmen in Hall of Famers Home Run Baker and Eddie Collins, as well as career .307 hitter Stuffy McInnis, Cobb’s comment was particularly high praise.
Barry also stole bases and was one of the era’s top defensive infielders, as his strong Defensive WAR will attest. Barry routinely received Most Valuable Player votes and was a legitimate star player. He wound up a part of five World Series Championship teams in Philadelphia and Boston (Red Sox). Barry was also one of many players to have his career interrupted when he served during World War I in 1918. Along with Baker, Collins, and McInnis, Barry was one quarter of the famous Connie Mack $100,000 infield.
While Barry is most famously known for his time with the Philadelphia Athletics, he also spent four seasons with the Boston Red Sox and, as such, was an early teammate of Babe Ruth. Barry helped the Red Sox to two World Series championships in his four years there.
The Rovers Membership Card
While I am routinely digging around for new and interesting pre-war material, I was not immediately familiar with a certain membership card. That isn’t wholly unsurprising because membership cards for all sorts of clubs were printed all over the country. But this particular one caught my eye once I spotted it.
This is a card for what was known as the Rovers Junior Baseball League. The inside of this pocket-sized, foldout style of card dates it to the 1919 and 1920 seasons. To date, I have two different versions — one with a 1919 date and the other, 1920. Inside, the name of the member would be written or typed and a line existed for the signature or name of the league’s secretary or treasurer. Membership fee in the league was fifty cents, per the designation inside the card.
The card provides little information about the league itself. The name ‘Rovers’ appears on the front and the back has a diamond-shaped symbol with the letters R.A.C. (Rovers Athletic Club?). The entire card is printed in red ink and cards were printed on a semi-gloss beige and lightweight card stock. Folded, it measures 2 3/4″ wide by 4 5/8″ tall, making it only slightly larger than today’s style of trading cards.
Canadian Origins?
In addition to the member’s information, the inside also touts a list of league officers, including a president, secretary, captain, executives, league representatives, honorary officials, and more. Most of the names are not household names, but one will stand out for history buffs or many Canadians — Sir Hugh John MacDonald.
While it is seems difficult to identify where this league originated, the presence of MacDonald seemingly makes it a Canadian piece. MacDonald was the son of the first Canadian Prime Minister John A. MacDonald, and later became the Premier of Manitoba. His name appears at the very top of the card, which provides us with a likely Canadian background.
We can even presumably further narrow down the location of the league as well. Winnipeg seems like a likely origin, as that is where MacDonald lived/worked at the time as the magistrate. Chris H. Newton, listed on the card as Honorary President of the league, also served as Winnipeg’s Acting Chief of Police (Acting Chief Constable) in the same 1919 year.
Of minor note, too, the example I purchased online was from a Canadian dealer.
There is no outright claim to a Winnipeg (or even, Canadian) origin on the card, but all signs point to that.
The Barry Tie-In
The front of the card is the part that carries the most intrigue for collectors. On the front, Barry is pictured throwing the ball.
It is important to state that he is not named on the card and, as a result, many collectors spotting it might be inclined to think it is a generic subject instead of an actual ballplayer. But the image of Barry is unmistakable and was the same picture used on Barry’s cards in the 1916 M101-4 and M101-5 Mendelsohn sets (also shown above).
So, what was the Barry tie-in to the card?
That’s a question I haven’t yet been able to crack. I have not found notable ties of Barry to Canada, let alone Winnipeg. At the time of production on the 1919 cards, Barry was in the midst of his final major league season with Boston. Boston and Winnipeg are not close geographically, either, separated by a nearly 30-hour car ride or five-hour flight.
Why Barry was chosen to appear on this card is a bit of a mystery to me.
Rarity and Pricing
Often, the more inexpensive cards from the pre-war era are the ones that feature generic subjects. That doesn’t always hold true but it is a common experience. Many cards featuring actual baseball players command good money. This card, however, is an exception.
The card is certainly not an easy one to find. You can occasionally spot one on eBay. However, part of the reason that it is not seen is because it is not a common issue and is not well known. The card can be listed in a number of ways by online sellers since it is not part of a mainstream set, and Barry is not always identified in such listings.
When collectors can find it, however, it is often priced affordably. Some sellers will charge considerably more due to its rarity, but it can often be purchased for under $50.
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