HOF Executives - What's possible?

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Posted By: Ken W.

Hey HOF collectors,

I've been wondering about the availability of cards of HOF executives, particularly those who never played the game. Been lucky enough to find a couple of Government Postcards (Barrow & Weiss), but nothing of the real early guys like Hulbert or Bulkeley. Any CDV's or Studio cabinents ever been seen? I've also never seen anything contemporary for either of the MacPhails. I have found very comprehensive lists of known prewar cards for players and negro leagers. But is there a similar resource out there for the Execs?

Thanks,
Ken

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Posted By: misunderestimated

I never seen anything with those two but here are my best guesses:

Unless I'm confusing things Bulkley is the guy who should not have been inducted back at the beginning becasue Hulbert was the real force behind the formation of the NL out of the NA (National Association) it was only remedied recently when Hulbert was inducted well over 100 yrs after his death.
Given that context I think Bulkely would be virtually impossible on anything baseball related. BUT I also recall that he was a US Senator or soemthing -- that might have made him a subject for CDVs or post-cards (or whatever) just like Doubleday, a war hero.

Hulbert spearheaded the formation of the NL and owned its first dynasty the Chicago White Stockings (ironically the team now known as the Cubs). Unfortunately he died soon thereafter and one his best players, SPalding took over. Perhaps there are early images of those first championship teams in the mid-late 1870's that also show their owner, Hulbert? I've never seen one but I guess its possible.

I have seen Cartwright and Chadwick who were also non-players.
Branch Rickey has his own cards from both his managerial and executive career and I think he appears on some team shots I've seen from when played Catcher (not in the majors) ....As a Catcher he was a great exec...(sort of like Connie Mack or Ned Hanlon but Rickey wasn't much of a manager either just a great exec.)

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Posted By: Bruce Kasarda

I do have a postcard of Bulkeley issued in 1908 by Geo. E. Wright. It pictures the Hartford bridge and Connecticut Blvd. He was a US Senator at this time and president of the bridge commission.This supports the previous post.

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Posted By: Phil Garry

I remember seeing Bulkeley on a couple of political pieces including pins/ribbons.

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Posted By: Anonymous

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Posted By: barrysloate

That sure is a great one Richard.

You would think that considering how important a figure Spalding was they would have spelled his name correctly on the card.

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Posted By: Anonymous

and his middle initial should be "G" as well.

I guess Olberman wasn't around to do the editing back then...

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Posted By: barrysloate

And Olbermann has two "n". More editing needed today.

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Posted By: Anonymous

Well there is the Callahan set from the 1950's.

Upper Deck also has a bunch of cut autos of various executives including a 1 of 1 Alexander Cartwright auto.

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Posted By: JimB

Great card Richard!
JimB

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Posted By: Bruce Babcock

Great card, Richard. First time I've ever seen one.

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Posted By: Ken W.

No doubt, Richard! What year was that Spalding card issued? My only thing of him is one of the 1887 baseball currencies of the Chicago team. I think they are now listed in the SCD catalog. Also, Bruce, do you have a scan of that Bulkeley postcard. Love to see it.

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Posted By: Gary Passamonte

Another Spalding..

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Posted By: Ken W.

WOW!!!

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Posted By: Paul

I should have chimed in awhile ago. As far as I know, here's what's available:

Spalding: Elected as a player, not an executive, so Richard's card doesn't count.

Bulkeley: I have exactly the same bridge postcard mentioned above. He has no known cards, though I believe he was the owner of a minor league or National Association team, so it's conceivable a team cabinet will turn up.

Hulbert: As far as I know, nothing.

Comiskey: One of the easiest. He has M101-4/5 and Cracker Jack cards as an exec, and others as a player.

Rickey: He's in the W573 Cardinals team issue set as an executive, and in the Cracker Jack and V100 sets as a manager. He's theoretically in the W600 set as a player, but no copies have been found. He's also in a W601 team collage as a player.

Ban Johnson: Fan Craze and M101-1.

Judge Landis: The closest thing to a card is his Baseball Magazine premium from 1944. Kind of surprising.

Veeck: He has two team issue photos from the late '40s, a team issue postcard from the late '40s, and appears in the 1976 Chicagoland collectors' issue when he was still active as owner of the White Sox.

Ed Barrow: No individual cards. He is on the W601 Tigers team collage from 1903 and also on a minor league team from the same set. I think a manager team issue card or photo could show up of him some day.

George Weiss: Nothing as far as I know.

Harridge, Giles, and Frick: All available on Topps cards.

Chandler: 1949 Eureka Sports Stamp and 1950 Callahan card.

Rube Foster: As far as I know, nothin'.

The MacPhails: Again, nothing as far as I know.

Did I miss anyone?

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Posted By: Ken W.

Thanks for responding, Paul! I think you were pretty complete. I do have a postcard of Ed Barrow (from the 1940's) and one of George Weiss (autographed from the 1950's), but I know some people don't count PC's. I also have an unused ticket from a Sept. 1980 White Sox game with Bill Veeck's picture on it. (It was Bill Veeck day at the park!) He sold the team the following January. The only thing I have ever obtained of Judge Landis is this little booklet shown below. Its not cataloged but is baseball card-sized and only 3 thin pages thick. Reminds me a lot of the Topps Story Booklets from the early 1970's, so I tend to count it as good for my set. I'm surprised that there seems to be nothing contemporary of Lee MacPhail, seeing as how he was active until the mid-1980's. Again, thanks for the info.

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Posted By: DaveW

Several of these guys (Mack, Barrow, Giles, Landis, Rickey and Frick) are also in the 1960 Fleer set. But cards of old guys in suits weren't too popular.
- Dave

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Posted By: Paul

Ken, I have the same Veeck ticket. I'm curious to see your Barrow and Weiss postcards. Were they team issues, or are they more like postcard-size photos? Can you post scans of them? Thanks.

Paul

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Posted By: Ken W.

Paul, they are both photo postcards. I don't know the exact year of either (the Barrow label is mine), just that the seller of the Barrow believed it to be from the mid to late 1940's, and the Weiss autograph was guaranteed to be from the 1950's by another seller. Maybe someone may know a bit more about them.

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Posted By: Paul

Very interesting. Thanks.

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Posted By: Frank Evanov

Here's a Rickey:



Frank