Originally Posted by Scott Garner (Post 981555)

I'll kick off the month of April...
I just picked up this rare 1938 Johnny Vander Meer Foto Fun photo card and original cardboard frame. Very unusual and cool!

Anybody out there know much about this Foto Fun series of photo cards and how widely they were distributed?

Originally Posted by thxforthebp (Post 982190)

Just got this 1935 Scranton Miners team signed photo featuring a really early VanderMeer, also on a more modern note picked up a 2008 International League Champions Scranton Yankees ring. It was player issued and is a great addition to my Scranton Wilkes Barre minor league baseball collection. The ring is resting on a Butch Wynegars hat from last season.

Originally Posted by Forever Young (Post 983483)

Always loved this photo... found it April of 2012.

http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/a...o23/mantle.jpg

Originally Posted by sicollector1954 (Post 983980)

Thanks! Was on Ebay but was listed in a different category other than baseball.

Originally Posted by jgmp123 (Post 984541)

Picked up a contract between the Chicago White Sox and the Indianapolis Indians from 1959...Still trying to gain a better understanding on the history of the contract, but looks to be players rights sold from Indians to Sox...

Also as a nice touch, signed by Comiskey....

Originally Posted by thecatspajamas (Post 985966)

Not sure when I picked this up, but finally got around to doing something with it in April, so here goes:


Originally, I had thought this was the batboy or possibly the child of one of the players, but thought he looked familiar somehow, possibly from other Cubs photos I had seen of that period. I asked one of my consignors who is an avid Cubs fan (and who gladly added the photo to his collection) if he recognized the child or knew who he was, and he thought that it was one of the Little Rascals child actors, possibly Chubby Chaney.

Well, he was very close, as a little more research revealed that it was actually Paul Dominick, Chaney's successor in the role of the obese kid in the gang which Dominick played for two years starting in late 1935:


Looking back at the Cubs' record in late 1935, it appears that Dominick joined up as team mascot on or about September 4 of that year (assuming the second photo's caption is correct), and remained with them through the end of the season and likely in the World Series as well. It also seems likely to my mind that Hal Roach may have discovered Dominick as a result of his appearances on the field with the Cubs. Roach is reported to have had difficulty finding the kind of obese kid that could carry on the tradition of Joe Cobb and Chubby Chaney, supposedly due to advancements in medical science which made it extremely rare for children to be that overweight.

Anyway, needless to say, I was thrilled to have made the connection, all the moreso knowing that the new owner will be just as thrilled for the Our Gang connection as the Chicago Cubs one.

Originally Posted by Scott Garner (Post 985980)

Chock this one up to extreme patience as a collector...

An eBay seller first listed this vintage signed Paul Dean 4 x 6 George Brace photo w/ a BIN for $99 over two years ago.

This was a nice fit for my no-hit pitcher signed photo collection, but I wasn't sure I wanted to spend $100 for it. After the seller ran the signed photo through a few 30 day auctions with no bites, I offered him $75 for it which he immediately turned down. A few months later, I tried again, and no-dice once again.

After two consecutive years of running this photo through 24 consecutive 30 day auctions, he finally started an auction at $74.99 with a BIN of $99 about a week ago. :cool:

I finally got it for the exact price I offered him. :)

Originally Posted by thecatspajamas (Post 985966)

Not sure when I picked this up, but finally got around to doing something with it in April, so here goes:


Originally, I had thought this was the batboy or possibly the child of one of the players, but thought he looked familiar somehow, possibly from other Cubs photos I had seen of that period. I asked one of my consignors who is an avid Cubs fan (and who gladly added the photo to his collection) if he recognized the child or knew who he was, and he thought that it was one of the Little Rascals child actors, possibly Chubby Chaney.

Well, he was very close, as a little more research revealed that it was actually Paul Dominick, Chaney's successor in the role of the obese kid in the gang which Dominick played for two years starting in late 1935:

A little more digging, and look what else turned up!


Looking back at the Cubs' record in late 1935, it appears that Dominick joined up as team mascot on or about September 4 of that year (assuming the second photo's caption is correct), and remained with them through the end of the season and likely in the World Series as well. It also seems likely to my mind that Hal Roach may have discovered Dominick as a result of his appearances on the field with the Cubs. Roach is reported to have had difficulty finding the kind of obese kid that could carry on the tradition of Joe Cobb and Chubby Chaney, supposedly due to advancements in medical science which made it extremely rare for children to be that overweight.

Anyway, needless to say, I was thrilled to have made the connection, all the moreso knowing that the new owner will be just as thrilled for the Our Gang connection as the Chicago Cubs one.

Edited to add: If anyone knows how Dominick found his way to the Cubs dugout in the first place, I would be glad to hear that story as well.

Originally Posted by thecatspajamas (Post 987420)

Just when I think Dan has everything Lincoln, his brother goes to the antique store again... Congrats, Dan!