He was said to be a private man, one who understood his place in the game as his fame grew but never sought attention. One of his good friends, however, was the man who may have been at least partly responsible for making him famous. The Baseball Hall of Fame calls him “the first face of baseball.” Charles Conlon took most of the Christy Mathewson photographs … [Read more...]
Early Ruth Photos Dominate at Auction
A 1919 photo of Babe Ruth with a caption chronicling his sale from the Red Sox to the Yankees sold for $37,200 in an auction of over 200 valuable vintage sports photographs. That photo, apparently associated with publicity for one of the newsreels that were popular in theaters at the time, measures 9 1/2 x 7 inches and even three holes punched in the site didn't deter … [Read more...]
Autographed Lou Gehrig Type I Photo Dates to ’33 Goudey Shoot
SCP Auctions is wrapping up its most recent offering with a selection of all kinds of New York Yankees memorabilia. In browsing the listings of items available, one particular photograph stands out. Lot No. 6 in the auction is for an autographed 8" x 10" Lou Gehrig photograph taken by the legendary Charles Conlon. That in and of itself would be notable, of course, and easily … [Read more...]
Famous Ty Cobb Type 1 Photo Sells for Record $250,000
An original photo showing Detroit Tigers Hall of Famer Ty Cobb sliding into third base has sold for $250,000, a record price for a Type 1 photograph. The aged, circa 1910, 8” x 10” image, taken by renowned sports photographer Charles Conlon, shows Cobb sliding hard into New York Highlanders’ third baseman Jimmy Austin for a stolen base during a game at New York’s Hilltop … [Read more...]
Jackie Robinson, 19th Century Items Highlight Love of the Game Auction
Significant pieces of history from the 1940s and the 19th century will highlight Love of the Game Auctions’ 2018 Fall Premier Auction. Bidding is already open and will run through Nov. 24. The highlight for the internet-based sports auction house will be a Heilbroner Baseball Bureau information card completed in 1946 by Jackie Robinson. Louis Heilbroner managed the … [Read more...]
Century-Old Conlon Ruth Photo Set to Hit Auction Block
An original Type I image of a young Babe Ruth taken by legendary baseball photographer Charles Conlon hits the auction block later this summer. The rare photo is expected to sell for $50,000 or more. The 9 ½” x 6 ¾” image of Ruth dates to no later than 1918 and shows him swinging a bat. Photos of Ruth hitting during his time with the Red Sox are fairly rare since … [Read more...]
1904 Christy Mathewson Photo Leads off RMY Sale
A rare 1904 photograph of Baseball Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson, believed to have been among the earliest baseball images taken by legendary photographer Charles Conlon, is among the headliners in the newly-launched February Premier sale at RMY Auctions. The 5”x 6 ½” original dates from 1904 and is among the most striking Mathewson images ever found. It is attracting … [Read more...]
Photo of the Day: Young Rogers Hornsby
He was the greatest right-handed hitter in major-league baseball history. Rogers Hornsby was intense, cantankerous, blunt and did not suffer fools easily. He was not well loved, and frankly, he didn’t care what others thought. But Hornsby was a magician with a bat, as his .358 career average shows. And an image taken by noted photographer Charles Conlon captured “Rajah” at … [Read more...]
Sole Survivor? Babe Ruth “Home Run Grip” Conlon Photo at Auction
One of Charles Conlon’s most unique images of Babe Ruth, one from the famous baseball photographer’s own archive and perhaps the only copy known to exist, is expected to fetch a big price this month. RMY Auctions is offering an early 1920s shot of Ruth showing Conlon how he grips the bat. On the back of the 6 ½” x 8 ½” silver gelatin image Conlon wrote in pencil “Babe … [Read more...]
Conlon Photo Profits Distributed Among Rogers’ Creditors
Proceeds from the sale of the Charles Conlon photo archive are being divvied among creditors of the man who once owned them, Arkansas sports memorabilia dealer and photo archivist John Rogers. The collection was sold for nearly $1.8 million by Heritage Auctions last year to help settle at least some of Rogers’ massive debt. A settlement was reached earlier this … [Read more...]