The Most Obscure Carded Baseball Player in History

frankbmd · #1 08-17-2015, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bliggity

I suppose it may be cheating to nominate a minor-league player, but the first one that came to mind for me was "Bourquise" from T209-1. I don't think anyone knows who he actually was. His name doesn't appear in any database of minor-league players, and I don't think he's appeared on any known roster, etc. The card lists his team as Rocky Mount, but he's wearing a Fulton jersey. Further, of the two Fulton-based teams from that era, neither were active in 1909 when the set was released.

To summarize from T206-contentnea.com, "The issuers of T209 managed to include - as one of only sixteen - an unknown player from a nonexistent team!"

Doesn't get much more obscure than that.

The Rocky Mount Railroaders in the Eastern Carolina League fielded a team in 1909 without this fellow on the roster apparently. Fulton is a little more difficult to pin down, but there is currently a team known as the Fulton Railroaders in Fulton County, Kentucky. That team has a long history, partially documented on their current website, and apparently played in the Kitty League from 1903 t0 1955 with a few interruptions for yellow fever, WW 1, the depression and WW 2. I believe the Fulton franchise in the Kitty League was in Kentucky, but the common team name of Railroaders could be more than coincidental. I find no mention of the Kitty League anywhere except for a chronology of league highlights and lowlights, and standings from 1935-1938 on the current Fulton team website. No rosters are found for the Kitty League anywhere.

So is it possible that Bourquise from the Fulton Railroaders was incorrectly identified as a member of the Rocky Mount Railroaders of the Eastern Carolina League in the Contentnea T209 set?

You all know the old adage,

"Once a Railroader, Always a Railroader."

This dude is certainly nondescript and the type of athlete we are looking for.

Peter_Spaeth · #2 08-17-2015, 09:58 AM

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=116422

frankbmd · #3 08-17-2015, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=116422

Pure speculation.

That thread was before my time.

Once a Railroader, Always a Railroader.

Peter_Spaeth · #4 08-17-2015, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankbmd

Pure speculation.

That thread was before my time.

Once a Railroader, Always a Railroader.

Stop rattling your SABR.

edhans · #5 08-17-2015, 10:48 AM

The first thing that came to my mind was the E90-1 of Jerry Upp; 2-1 in a cameo at the end of 1909.

Bliggity · #6 08-17-2015, 11:29 AM

Of course, there's always this guy, who would have been one of the most obscure players ever, but for his posthumous rise to fame about 80 years after he appeared only his only solo card...

Wayne · #7 08-17-2015, 11:53 AM

I would say Chuck Connors
He has 3 cards back in his playing days.
1950 World Wide Gum
1952 Mothers Cookies
1952 Cubs Ben Bey

Not to mention The Rifleman he quit playing baseball and went into acting.
or
Most X-Rated baseball card ( I want this card just because of the story)
Astros pitcher Claude Raymond is responsible for the most hilarious pose in Baseball card history.
On his 1966 Topps card Raymond apprears to be looking skyward to spot a high fly. Eye the card closely and you will see he is looking the wrong way - he should be looking at his own fly

Michael Peich · #8 08-17-2015, 12:47 PM

Great thread, Frank. And, Dan�you beat me to Bourquise!

A few clarifications come to mind regarding the slippery Mr. Bourquise. The KITTY League was founded in 1903, and the best I can determine is that Fulton first entered in 1911 as the Fulton Colonels. The team rejoined the KITTY League in 1922 at which time they took the nickname Railroaders. So, Frank, the Fulton Railroaders came into existence @ thirteen years after Rocky Mount.

Tom Hufford�s sleuthing on David Lewis Bourquin is excellent and includes information about him playing for the Danville team (Virginia League) in 1908. Interestingly, there is a Bourquin card in T209-2 that shows him playing for Wilmington of the Eastern Carolina League. However, Baseball Reference.com does not list Bourquin as a member of the Wilmington team. The plot thickens.

I have discovered, since Tim Newcomb and I wrote the T209 article, that players moved between teams/leagues on a regular basis. (I am happy to discuss player movement, but it�s a lengthy story. See my comments on Fred Stoehr at my website, http://t209-contentnea.com) It is possible that Bourquin was with Wilmington in 1910 when his photo was taken for the card, but then was released/cut from the roster. So, I agree with Tom Hufford that Bourquise could have been Bourquin. And the confusion over his name could have resulted from someone incorrectly spelling his name. Irwin-Nadal didn't employ fact-checkers to verify the players on Contentnea issued cards. But the reproduction of the Fulton jersey remains a question since Fulton didn�t begin play until 1911. Bourquise is still a mystery.

However, since Dan started the thread with a T209-1 player, let me offer this card of Aloysius James Handiboe, �Coalyard Mike,� as a candidate for Frank�s thread. Mike Handiboe broke into professional baseball (1910) as an outfielder with the minor league Goldsboro Giants. It�s not clear, according to Baseball-Reference.com, that he played minor league baseball in 1911. But, on September 8, 1911 he debuted with the New York Higlanders. Mike appeared in five games, had fifteen at-bats, and recorded one hit and two base on balls for a lusty .067 batting average. His last game as a major leaguer was September 19, 1911. That�s a true �cup-of-coffee� MLB career. Mike continued to play in the minors, mostly with Savannah, from 1912-1916, after which there are no records for him.

I propose that Mike Handiboe would fit Frank�s category as one of the �Most Obscure Carded Baseball Player(s) in History.�

Cheers, Mike

mybuddyinc · #9 08-17-2015, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edhans

The first thing that came to my mind was the E90-1 of Jerry Upp; 2-1 in a cameo at the end of 1909.

Ya - Upp

upp.jpg

frankbmd · #10 08-17-2015, 04:07 PM

Far be it from me to declare winners and losers on this thread. I feel confident that we have just begun to scratch the surface of obscurity.

IMAXMAX · #11 08-17-2015, 08:09 PM

picked up this Toleteros a coupla months back....it's the only card from the set I've seen which does not include both a first and last name
::::::::just Lettish

Bliggity · #12 08-17-2015, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankbmd

So is it possible that Bourguise from the Fulton Railroaders was incorrectly identified as a member of the Rocky Mount Railroaders of the Eastern Carolina League in the Contentnea T209 set?

I suppose that's possible, although I'm not sure how they'd make that mistake. Contentnea cigarettes were manufactured in Wilson NC, and the T209-1 and -2 sets only have players from NC, SC, and VA. The color series actually only has players from NC (15 subjects) and SC (1 subject), and none from VA. So although it's possible that Contentnea or the card designer knew of a Bourquise on the "Railroaders" and got the team wrong, I'm not sure why they would even come to know of a Kentucky player when their primary focus was on NC, and no KY players were represented in either T209 set. But I've never heard a better explanation, so maybe you're right!

Bliggity · #13 08-17-2015, 10:01 AM

Or, you know, what Peter said.

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