San Jose team picture questions 1900ish

[bocca001]

I just picked up this picture of a baseball team from San Jose, CA (at least I think it is CA). I was hoping you might have some opinions about my 2.5 related questions.

Each uniform has the number 99 on it, which made me at first think that the uniforms may have been for the 1899 season. But the picture doesn't look that old, and the gloves in the picture look more like those from 1900-1905 (see below). So...

1) What is your best quess about the year of the picture?

2) Why would the all the uniforms have the number 99 on them, if it wasn't the year? Something like a team name? Or sponsor? (try not to get distracted by the letter "N" being reversed on half of the jerseys).

2.5) Anyone else have pictures from this era with the same number on the front of each jersey?

[bgar3]

Do not know about this photo, but I have seen college team uniforms with the year of the class on them, many with the just the last 2 numbers like yours.

[steve B]

It's a bit odd that many of the Ns are backwards.

[bocca001]

Yeah... especially if it is a college team. If it is a college team, it is the San Jose Normal Institute (school for teachers)(now San Jose State).

[chlankf]

Originally Posted by bocca001

Yeah... especially if it is a college team. If it is a college team, it is the San Jose Normal Institute (school for teachers)(now San Jose State).

The backward N and a school with a team name of Normals would make a comically ironic twist.

[Dewey2007]

I couldn't find a similar team photo in Good Old Sandlot Days "Santa Clara" county photo gallery but it might be worth contacting John Ward who manages the site and see if he's familiar with the team.

http://goodoldsandlotdays.com/galler...89-santa-clara

[bocca001]

Well, I can't get a positive ID on the "99" San Jose team. I may check with San Jose State when I'm back in the area.

Thought I'd post a few other San Jose related items... just because. Net54 often pops up near the top (if not at the top) in my various Google searches and these may be useful to someone down the line. The postcard with the wagon says:

Base Ball
Star Grocers Team
San Jose Brewers (or something like that)

If anybody else has something related to San Jose, please post. Also, please post if you have a picture with the same number on the front of each uniform.

[Dewey2007]

You've probably already explored this option but teams with numbers on them are often times fraternal organizations like the Elks, American Legion, Eagles, Knights of Columbus, etc.