Opinions on baseball cabinet ID's....

[RCMcKenzie]

Here are 2 cabinets I recently received. The Boston player is blank backed with the handwritten inscription.." C. Webster Jeffery, artist Boston". I was thinking maybe Billy Nash, Tom O'Rourke or John Morrill.

The Geo. Rich Cabinet with the Chicago player, I can't place. Not Silver Flint or Mike Kelly, I don't think. Any ideas? Thanks

[thecatspajamas]

Can you post larger scans of just their heads?

[RCMcKenzie]

Lance, and all, here are larger pics. Can zoom in more tomorrow if need be.

[GaryPassamonte]

I believe the Boston player is Tommy Bond. That is a great find.

[barrysloate]

Unquestionably Tommy Bond, and a super pickup. I've seen other Boston players from that series, and I believe they were issued late 1870's. I love it.

[RCMcKenzie]

Thank y'all for the Tommy Bond ID on the Boston card. That is great news. I had not heard of him before, but I see now that he was a great pitcher in the late 1870's, a pitching triple crown winner with three 40 win seasons in a row.

Any thoughts on the Chicago player, or maybe on the time frame of the uniform style? Thanks

[barrysloate]

Chicago is circa 1888-90. Don't recognize the player.

Agree with the others that the Boston player is a well known image of Tommy Bond. Congrats on, what in my opinion, is a major score.

There is good bio of him in SABR's Nineteenth Century Stars book.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Bond_(baseball)

[RCMcKenzie]

Originally Posted by NewEnglandBaseBallist

There is good bio of him in SABR's Nineteenth Century Stars book.

Thanks, I will have to get a copy of that SABR book.

Here is a link to a baseball discussion site that debates the pros and cons of Bond's possible HOF status....

http://www.baseball-fever.com/showth...839-Tommy-Bond



An update on the Chicago card..........

The photographer is Geo. F. Riel of Chicago. I found some Chicago directory listing archive sites that place Riel at this Chicago street address from 1890-1900 and/or 1891-1900. The sites indicate that Riel was active as early as 1880, but no addresses are known from 1880-1889.

I have looked through rosters of the Chicago White Stockings/Colts/Orphans from 1884-1901 and have not been able to identify this player. There were a few obscure players that I could not find an image of, so it is possible that this is not a well known player.

However, my ID skills are not the best, and I may have overlooked an obvious photo match for this player. Some matches I thought were possibly close were, Ossie France, Dad Lytle, Pat Luby, and Silver Flint.

[bmarlowe1]

I agree with Barry on the dating. I think your photo is prior to the late 1890's when the team seems to have dropped the "CHICAGO" lettering in the few team photos I have seen from that period.

It is definitely not Silver Flint nor is it Pat Luby. I don't think it's a well-known player. As for Lytle and France, given the existing images I have, it's hard to say. Keep in mind that there are a number of candidates for whom there is as yet no known (to SABR) image for comparison.

Also - he doesn't match anyone on the 1890 Chicago Player's League roster (I don't know what their uniforms looked like).

Great find on the Bond photo.

[RCMcKenzie]

Thanks for the help, Mark and all. If I ever turn anything up on the Chicago card I will let y'all know.