Tris Speaker and the 1915 Susini card mystery solved

[T206Jim]

Over the years there has been debate about the 1915 Susini baseball card depicting a batter in mid-swing. The consensus has developed that it is Tris Speaker and PSA has identified the same image used for the 1934 RJ Hill card as Speaker on its flip. The dark uniform has always thrown people for a loop.

I can now positively identify the Susini and Hill cards with photographic proof. Below is a PSA Type 1 photo of Tris Speaker by Paul Thompson on February 26, 1914 at Chelsea Field in London during the White Sox / Giants game that was played there during the World Tour. Speaker played for the White Sox on the tour and donned their dark uniform. While not the exact card image it was clearly taken during the same game. Close examination shows the same marks and stains on the uniform on each image. Note the white spot on the waistline, the stain on the socks and the grey hair just below the cap edge.

Speaker batting.jpg

Speaker Susini.jpg

IMG_2026 1.jpg