Hey guys,
These might not fall into the category of 'best deals ever made', but I think it could count for me. Because of the kind of work I do, obviously photographs of players are always appreciated. But since I try to be as historically accurate as possible, putting them in proper context is even more important.
So, when I learned about the Harry M. Stevens ballpark panoramic photographs years ago, I nearly flipped - I knew it would be imperative to get as many of them as possible.
For those of you unfamiliar with them, Lelands auctioned them off sometime in 1996. The original purpose of these photographs was to demonstrate to advertisers the state of their scoreboard ads for a given year. Now, the image clarity of these photos is astonishing, as they were produced straight from good ol' glass plate negatives. The dates depicted ranged from 1934 to 1956 I believe, and many of the MLB ballparks were depicted, including: Yankee Stadium, the Polo Grounds, Ebbets Field, Fenway, and Braves Field.
I've managed to get my hands on many of them over the years through eBay, most of which were of Yankee Stadium. I've put most of them right back on the site, as I only needed scans of them for my reference, and never had a need for originals. I do still have a few left, however.
Anywho, here are two examples:
1939
1949
I definitely paid a lot for them, but they've been absolutely invaluable for my artwork!
Graig