1905 Western Assoc. (Joplin) Team Cabinet / Native American player

[Brian Campf]

Anyone interested in buying or trading for this 1905 12x10 cabinet photo of the Joplin (Missouri) Base Ball Club from the Western Association? If so, please email me.

Native American collectors take note. The photo says 1906, but I date it to 1905 because Sam Morris is shown. He's quite significant because he was a Native American who played organized ball for just three years (1903-1905), and I'm unaware of other period images showing him.

T210 and T211 collectors will note the presence of Dick Bayless (T210, T211) and Syl Olson (T210). Kid Durbin, Rudy Baerwald, and Bayless all played in the majors.

The "x" is through Baerwald, so I assume this once belonged to him. Baerwald is really Rudy Bell, who played 17 games in the majors with the Highlanders in '07. I'm guessing this was a team issue because of the pre-printed information on the cabinet mount.

Condition: You take'em as you find'em, but this is not bad for its age, though the top left corner is barely hanging on and will detach completely if it's not handled very carefully. My scanner didn't capture the edges, but it has typical wear, nothing unexpected. No returns on this one, especially because I can't guarantee how long the top left corner will remain intact).

[Brian Campf]

Further to the post immediately above, here's a close-up of Morris.