Negro league HOF Frank Grant 1886 Buffalo season scrapbook

[Jason19th]

I just picked this up off of ebay and I cannot think of a find I have been more excited about. In 1886 Frank Grant the great black player of the late 1800's and 2006 HOF had his rookie season in the white high minors. Many forget that up until 1888 there was a strong black presence on integrated teams with such luminaries as Grant, Bud Fowler, George Stovey playing and playing well. Grant started the 1886 season in the Eastern League and then moved up to Buffalo and the International League (which was just below the majors) and batted in the 340's as a 20 year old on a veteran team. This scrapbook is the nearly complete local coverage for the team from season start to end. I am still going through all of the game recaps but what is amazing is that there is little notice of Grant as black or any notion of problems. To the contrary he is clearly a fan favorite (a guess talent has always broken down barriers) and team star. Even when he screws up the mistake is mentioned in light of all of the good he has done. One of the clips below (sorry that are hard to read) notes "There was a loud cheer when Grant came to the plate. For once the phenomenon was unequal to the task." There are few collectibles of Grant (no cards or postcards) and I count myself very lucky for picking this up. I will try to post more scan latter

Jason

[Klrdds]

That is a truly great and unique find. There is almost nothing on Frank Grant from original sources that I have personally seen or heard of in print or photos or, as in my collection/ want list a signature . Congratulations.

[Jason19th]

Thank

I already looked no autographs. I am always amazed that people will list something like this on eBay without doing a google search there was no mention of grant in the listing

[bcbgcbrcb]

Great pick-up, Jason!

I think you guys are right, I have never seen or heard of a Frank Grant autographed item surviving, although I don't collect autographs myself. However, I have confirmed an 1887 Buffalo team cabinet card picturing Grant along with a 1905 Cuban X-Giants team RPPC with Grant pictured as well. I also know of at least two other Grant photos, both from early 1900's Philadelphia Giants team photos but have never been able to confirm the existence of originals, only those published in Negro League books.

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am floored. That scrapbook is truly awesome, and it found a great home. Congrats Jason...

[ramram]

That's great stuff Jason. Anything Frank Grant is very hard to come by. The only thing I've managed is an 1895 team scorebook with a couple of games played against Grant and his Cuban Giant team mates.

Rob M.

[bcbgcbrcb]

Also, a couple of Grant images appear in Sol White's original History of Colored Baseball book published in 1907. In addition, a woodcut picturing Grant appears in an 1889 issue of the Cleveland Gazette, an African-American newspaper of the time. Of course, both of these items are nearly impossible to find, much as the 1886 Buffalo cabinet card and 1905 postcard are........

[Joe_G.]

Very nice item Jason. Please do share more photos. Is it primarily box scores? Any hand writing in the book, personal commentary?

[Jason19th]

joe

I will try to post some others images. Also I case there is any confusion I wanted to make sure to state this is not Grants personal scrapbook but a scrapbook that chronicles the teams 1886 season probably kept by a fan. I cannot even imagine what it would be worth if it could be tied to Grant. To me it still had the historic importance but maybe not the dollar value.

Sorry for any confusion

Jason

[jboosted92]

Jason19th,

still a great find, save my email if you ever want to sell (at a profit )! i love pieces like that too....

[h2oya311]

Fantastic find!! Congrats on uncovering such a great piece of history...here is the 1889 Woodcut that Phil mentioned:

Originally Posted by Jason19th

I am still going through all of the game recaps but what is amazing is that there is little notice of Grant as black or any notion of problems. To the contrary he is clearly a fan favorite (a guess talent has always broken down barriers) and team star. Even when he screws up the mistake is mentioned in light of all of the good he has done. One of the clips below (sorry that are hard to read) notes "There was a loud cheer when Grant came to the plate. For once the phenomenon was unequal to the task."

I found the same thing while researching Jimmy Claxton. Descriptive phrases used to evaluate Claxton included two types, (1) Commentaries on the man, and (2) reports on his game. I compiled these from the Cle Elum Miner Echo, Ellensburg Capital, Ellensburg Evening Record, Yakima Herald, Yakima Daily Republican, Wenatchee World, and Toppenish Standards newspapers from 1926-31 when he integrated the Roslyn Yippers of the Central Washington League. He was the Yipper manager 1926-27.

Those about the man referred to him as "star pitcher", "star moundsman", "star Roslyn chucker", star Yipper pitcher", "stellar southpaw", "pitching ace", Roslyn's mainstay", "class of the league", "best in the circuit", "the touted Claxton", and the "Roslyn wonder". Some articles painted with a pallet of racially charged phrases such as "colored hurler", "star colored southpaw", "Yippers Negro southpaw", and the "colored giant of Valley hurling circles", but never the hometown paper.

There were never qualifications of his game such as "he's good for a black man" etc. His pitching was described as "splendid", "superb", "magnificent", "impregnable", "invincible", and "disgustingly miserly". His pitches referred to as "steam and dazzle", "mystery curves", and "poison that baffled". He was praised by Yakima Indians manager Sonny Sontheimer as "almost a team himself".

Overall very well regarded. I believe commentaries on Grant would be similar, supported locally but sometimes disparaged by rival towns newspapers. Great, great, great scrapbook.

[Jason19th]

Here a couple of interior images. Clearly the home fans and reporters loved Grant. How many players get called "Phenomenon" on days when you go 0 for 3.

I love that woodcut image -- where did you find that?

[JimStinson]

Great item !!! No autograph of Grant has ever surfaced ANYWHERE , to the best of my knowledge he is the ONLY Baseball Hall of Fame member who's autograph is not known to exist.

I tried to figure out why and my research indicated he could indeed read and write , at least according to the census records. Which would establish the fact he was literate. But what became confusing is a few things , his father died or was killed shortly after his birth and his name was changed. It seems although not sure that he alternated between names during his life.

Even more confusing is in archival records he lists his "race" (yes that was a question they asked in the census records) at various times in his life as Mulatto , Negro and even White. So while there are autographs that are known to exist of Hall of Famers like Mendez & Torriente , just not in the public domain. Nothing at all exists as of this writing on Grant making his autograph probably the most rare of any member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. So Nice Snag ! And if I were you I'd keep looking where ever you found the book.
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[GoCubsGo32]

Congrats! Awesome pick up!!

Can you please show all that was in the scrapbook that was relate to Grant?