What is the most powerful card image to you?

[Archive]

Posted By: Jason L

I got the writing bug last night, as occasionally will happen to me, and at the risk of exposing the degree to which I am a geek (I know, that's been long out of the bag by now), I thought I would share this, and ask you guys and gals :

"What baseball card evokes the most awe or causes you to wonder about the player, the era, or the history surrounding the image? Which card (most likely vintage because of the age, but perhaps not) always draws you in to the more mythic, contemplative, or mysterious thoughts on the game of baseball and its history?"

Or, perhaps another answer is: "I collect because I haven't found mine yet"?

What follows is from my website: http://www.freewebs.com/chisywact/themythicalrelic.htm

The Mythical Relic

For me, baseball has always had an interesting allure to it. History of any kind, I suppose, does have a certain measure of mystery that surrounds the events, places, and people involved in any story, and the further away from that time, the more mysterious the story becomes. Facts fade, histories become distorted through the process of re-telling, and perhaps selective memories become a factor as specifics are gradually lost forever.

The history of baseball is no different. But we do have the relics, and these items, these physical things, can convey histories both real and imagined. Baseball cards are relics, and for me, the most powerful of these is this card pictured here, the T206 White Borders Napolean Lajoie (with bat pose). In all honesty, this could be thought of as very strange, because Nap Lajoie is not one of my favorite players. I actually know very little about him, his style of play, his career statistics, or the teams he played for during his Hall of Fame career at the turn of the previous century. But that is most likely a large part of why I view this card as representative of the mythic in the history of baseball. The image itself accounts for the rest of the phenomenon, and this aesthetic aspect of the relic is what personalizes the sense of the mythic for each person. For me, this is a very rich image of baseball. The colors of the sunset, the collared wool uniform, the older style cut of the bat handle, and the detail of the facial expression and the eyes all combine to communicate another era in baseball history. This is the most powerful, mythic baseball card image I have found. The effect is one that makes me want to learn the player, the era, and try to research and uncover the mysteries within the history.

[IMG][/IMG]

[Archive]

Posted By: Brian

[Archive]

Posted By: Hal Lewis

It may not be "vintage"... but a LOT of people who don't know much about baseball cards are familiar with this beauty:

[Archive]

Posted By: Andy

For me it is the T3 Kleinow. The large size of the card plus the image of him in all of his catchers gear is just mesmerizing to me.

[Archive]

Posted By: Bill Stone

For me it is the T210-Joe Jackson. In his New Orleans jacket he has a rather sad expression as if he is looking ahead at his future.

[Archive]

Posted By: Brian C.

A great photograph, not just a great sports photograph.

[Archive]

Posted By: Brian

<<For me it is the T210-Joe Jackson. In his New Orleans jacket he has a rather sad expression as if he is looking ahead at his future.>>

Very well said. I feel the same way about the Obak Weaver...

[Archive]

Posted By: Bruce Babcock

The T207 Lowdermilk is one which I find haunting. The Chickering cabinet of Duffy is another. The picture clarity makes it seem like the photo was taken yesterday - or I've gone back in time.

[Archive]

Posted By: Jason L

that image is rather haunting
the T207 Lowdermilk -he looks like a scared & distrusting boy

interesting - I suspected that some comments would come up regarding the BlackSox...and sure enough they are very relevant in a question like this, with mentions already of Weaver and Jax...

[Archive]

Posted By: Scot

.

[Archive]

Posted By: Joe Jones

[Archive]

Posted By: Scot Reader

I have to agree on the Lajoie (With Bat). Transports me to another era.

Two other images that do this for me are the E93 Waddell and N162 Keefe.

And the Duffy cabinet is mesmerizing.

[Archive]

Posted By: Jason L

that is also rather amazing, but I don't own it or have a copy. It is a full-body profile photo of Yogi Berra, in his catcher's gear, standing at the top step of the dugout and looking down (I think he is heading back after the end of an inning)...it conveys how tiring the game is, the battle and the fatigue of it all...amazing photo...saw it on the NYTimes photo website

[Archive]

Posted By: leon

[Archive]

Posted By: Dan Bretta

1921 Exhibit Collins

[Archive]

Posted By: Bruce Babcock

Speaking of the Black Sox . . . here's a guy on top of the world. A few years later? Not so much.

[Archive]

Posted By: Adam

I think the T206 catcher cards are stunning, not sure if McLean or Powers is my favorite.

[Archive]

Posted By: S Gross

Don't own one, but everytime I see a T206 Joss Portrait, a chill goes straight up my spine.

[Archive]

Posted By: Jeff Prizner

[Archive]

Posted By: peter chao

That 1921 Exhibit Collins is gorgeous, it's pretty clear that the old time ballplayers were salt of the earth type people and not pretty boys like ARod.

Peter

[Archive]

Posted By: Jason L

no kidding! and check out that photo of Leon's of Honus!
I think that guy was born with that same "It's been a very hard life" look to the features of his face

JeffP,
That Johnson card - looks like cold weather, judging by the person's coat and body language in the background at the dugout steps-but doesn't seem to bother Walter at all...and is that a water cooler in the dugout?

[Archive]

Posted By: Dave S

[Archive]

Posted By: JimB

Impossible to choose, but here are a couple that come to mind. I also love the T206 Lajoie batting pose that you posted and the red portrait Cobb is a classic!

[Archive]

Posted By: Mark T

?t=1181159003

[Archive]

Posted By: Peter Spaeth

[Archive]

Posted By: Jason L

Can I ask the collective experience here:
Did any of these PreWW2 ballplayers smile (and get caught by the camera doing so)?!?!??!
The only one that I can recall after looking at all these card scans for the past year is the CJ Cicotte that Steve M recently picked up...and that is more of a smirk.

That would be an interesting, if not almost useless, exercise: to count the number of cards depicting smiling players, and tally up the % per set, or per issuance year. I wonder what that number and the series through time would say, if anything about the social status of the players, the economic health of the US, player confidence in the overall health of their teeth, number of licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop, etc...

hmmm...

[Archive]

Posted By: Anonymous

The great one in action...

[Archive]

Posted By: peter chao

It isn't that the old-timers didn't smile. It just took a lot longer to obtain a photographic image in the old days. So it was simpler and easier to take a picture of a serious portrait pose as opposed to a smiling ballplayer or a ballplayer in action.

Peter

[Archive]

Posted By: MVSNYC

Hal- that is such a great image! i couldn't help myself...it is my new pic!

as for the most powerful card image for me...

i think it is this...

[Archive]

Posted By: JimB

Jason,
The only reason Cicotte is smiling is because he is the only one who made any money at this.
Jim

[Archive]

Posted By: Anonymous

This one gives me Goose Bumps

[Archive]

Posted By: Bob

But this is also a haunting card:

[Archive]

Posted By: Bottom of the Ninth

It is what the image represents.

[Archive]

Posted By: Jeff Lichtman

[Archive]

Posted By: Peter Spaeth

[Archive]

Posted By: Jason L

that really gets me thinking (about the heyday of the Cubs)...is the T206 Tinker, bat on shoulder...

I think Barry A. may have a scan of a gorgeous example

[Archive]

Posted By: Kevin Saucier

Kevin

[Archive]

Posted By: Jason

blank card stock = limitless open canvas?

[Archive]

Posted By: Steve f

That Jackie is great.

[Archive]

Posted By: Tony Andrea

[Archive]

Posted By: Mike Mattison

I look at these and wonder, what are they thinking?

[Archive]

Posted By: Kevin

<"blank card stock = limitless open canvas?">


Blank front t-cards = The image could be anything, maybe even a Wagner. IMO no image is a powerful image.

[Archive]

Posted By: Paul S

[Archive]

Posted By: leslie westbrook

...I thought about my choice as I scrolled to the bottom of the current posts...as I scrolled I kept thinking and going back to the Bowman Pee Wee Reese....then...there it was...the post just before this one. All I can say is ditto. That card is unforgettable.

[Archive]

Posted By: Frank Evanov

Always wondered what the Babe was thinking here:



Frank

[Archive]

Posted By: Rob L

The stare and the Opie look belies the thunder in his right arm!!

Rob L

[Archive]

Posted By: peter ullman

All of those cards are great...but...the most powerful card will always be the t206 Wags for me...seeing it instills chills down my spine!

pete ullman

[Archive]

Posted By: paulstratton

Blank front T-cards? The image could be anything? OMG.

[Archive]

Posted By: Mike Ellis

My favorite image on a pre-war card is the E92 Admiral Schlei. I love that card. Schlei had a short and less than memorable career. But, the image of him in that bulky sweater, with the rugged face, and large piece of lumber are a great reminder of early 20th century baseball.

[Archive]

Posted By: Ken W.

Wonder what was in this guy's head?