In case you don't regularly check the BST where this photo was just posted for sale, I wanted to share the story of another buried treasure discovered. This photo captures Honus Wagner receiving the "Honey Boy" Evans trophy for winning the batting title in 1908. The beautiful trophy now resides in the Hall of Fame.
Although there is no stamp on the back of the photo, it was attributed to Paul Thompson when previously sold and the handwriting on the back is a perfect match to another Wagner photo that does have Thompson’s stamp (see the third image showing the OTHER photo with the Thompson stamp).
Additional information on the trophy is found on the Hall of Fame website:
https://baseballhall.org/discover-mo...ney-boy-trophy
"In May 1908, the Los Angeles Times reported that “George Evans, the song writer and comedian, has offered a…..cup for the champion batter of the world for the season of 1908. The cup will be known as the ‘Honey Boy Evans Cup.’ ” Two years later the Washington Post noted: “George Evans, the star of the ‘Honey Boy Minstrels,’ has probably taken first honors as the most enthusiastic baseball ‘bug’ of the present day. Mr. Evans annually backs up his enthusiasm as the champion ‘fan’ by presenting a trophy known to all baseball players as the ‘Honey Boy’ trophy to the batsman of the American or National League attaining the highest batting average of the season.”
The inaugural trophy for the 1908 season was presented to Pirates shortstop Honus Wagner on May 20, 1909, prior to a home game in Pittsburgh. He topped the nearest competitor by 20 points with his .354 average in 1908. The New York Times reported “The 7,000 people who braved the dark clouds and the damp, shivery weather saw Wagner presented with a silver trophy in the shape of a cup…..The huge cup having been brought out to the home plate by a little boy, and Wagner, having shuffled up to the plate with his hat off, Joe Humphreys made the presentation speech akin to a marriage vow. “Take it and honor it and treasure it and—‘Obey it,’ yelled somebody in the bleachers, ‘until death do us part.’ ‘Fill it up, Wagner! Fill it up!’ yelled the bleachers.”
05-08-2018, 07:01 PM
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