lipman pike

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Posted By: jamiew

im looking for a list of cards featuring the first jewish ballplayer lip pike. my beckett tells me none available though id swear ive seen them turn up on ebay now and again.
jamie

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Posted By: Andy Baran

Pike's career was essentially over before any baseball cards were produced. I believe that Pike was pictured on one or more team composite cabinets, cdv's, or trade cards, but I do not have a list. Maybe someone on the board has more information.

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Posted By: Rich Klein

There is a regular card (and 2 Parallels) for Lipman Pike in the All-time Jewish Major Leaguer set issued last year and those cards are in our database. We have them priced in the new Beckett Almanac of Baseball Cards and Collectibles at something like $1-2 each for the basic card (I'm doing that from memory).

The parallels are a bit more

Rich

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Posted By: barrysloate

There is a known CdV of Pike from the Baltimore team of 1873. The image has never been published, but it does exist. You are most like to find him on a woodcut- I believe he is pictured on an 1873 Daily Graphic, though those are not easy to come by. I think I had one or two over the years.

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Posted By: Jimmy Leiderman

Barry, is the Lip Pike photograph in the "mistery man" collection too?

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Posted By: Andy Baran

I thought that Pike was also on a Worcester Team Composit Cabinet.

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Posted By: Kevin O

Mark Rucker's "Base Ball Cartes" shows Pike in two Troy Haymaker team cdvs from 1871. The images are numbered 41 and 45. There is a very good chance that an individual carte from the same year exists/existed for Pike, as individual cdvs of other players from that year's squad have surfaced (e.g. Bill Craver and Steve King). One of the 1871 Troy Photographic scorecards--featuring individual players on the cover--recently sold in the Robert Edward Auction (Michael McGeary). Pike may very well have been on the cover of one of these, but I've never seen one. If images of Pike do exist in these forms, you should pray to find them first, as I imagine a cdv or photographic scorecard of Pike would go through the roof in a well-advertised auction. I have two scorecards from 1879 with pre-printed lineups that include Pike (one of Albany vs the Holyokes when Pike played for the Holyokes, the other (three weeks later) with Albany vs Providence when Pike had jumped to the Albany team. I've been offered ridiculous amounts for each, but I'd never part with either.

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Posted By: wassermj@yahoo.com

thanks for the info guys. looks like ill have to keep my eyes open.

didnt pike manage for a bit in the early 1900's as well?

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Posted By: barrysloate

I request that the board please cease asking me each time I discuss a rare piece if it belongs to the "mystery man." It is making both he and I uncomfortable. I've seen a lot of things in this hobby and am happy to share the historical aspects of them. But this particular gentleman wishes to keep his collection low key so I just can't keep answering that question. I don't mean to be difficult, but just acknowledging the wishes of someone who is a close friend of mine. I hope people do understand. I now have to think twice about posting something without someone asking me that. Thanks guys.

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Posted By: barrysloate

And I forgot to add thanks Kevin O. (whoever you are) for pointing out the two CdV's in Mark Rucker's book. It was gnawing at me that there was another image but I just couldn't think of it. They are both wonderful team photos but I would guess each is close to unique; obviously, they wouldn't be easy to find. Pike is a popular and elusive player, to be sure.

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Posted By: runscott

This from the sponsor's msg on the Baseballreference.com site:

"Accepting $20 a week to play 3rd base for the Philadelphia A's in l866, Lip Pike was baseball's first professional player. The game’s first power hitter, Lip was also the first blend of power and speed, founding the famous 5/5 club. "

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Posted By: barrysloate

Many players have been dubbed "the first professional player." We'll probably never know for sure who is first.

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Posted By: jay behrens

If anyone is on the SABR 19c e-list, you will have seen the posts recently that point to players being paid as early as 1855.

Jay

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Posted By: barrysloate

I think it's extremely likely that Jim Creighton was paid, as he was the game's first real star and crowds came to watch him play whenever his team was in town. He was big time even in 1858-59, and a huge attraction with the Excelsiors in 1860. I'm sure he got a few bucks for his trouble.

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Posted By: jay behrens

Creight's name has been mentioned promonently as the most likely player to have been paid first. The 1869 Cininnati team was the first to admit being paid, the recent research by members of the 19c committee have shown player movement that could only be explained if a player was getting paid to do so.

Jay

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Posted By: Joe P.

I'm looking at a scorecard that I won in a Lipset's auction a few years ago.

It's an 1871 Haymakers vs Mutual game played at the Union Grounds, and according to the beautiful hand written pencil script by Frank Thompson the scorer, it was played on Oct 2 '71.
Pike is listed 7th in the lineup and playing right field for the Haymakers.
I know that the Mutuals won 16 to 6, but I'll be dog gone if I can make out all of the scoring indicators for that period.
It is not a Mort Rogers score card, so therefore unfortunately no player picture.
The front of the score card shows a beautiful ad for "Kehoe's celebrated Indian Clubs".
Located at 100 William Street NY. .... not far from Nassau and 22 Ann St.
Intrestingly Frank Thompson, (the scorer) has a written notation of an M. Rogers penceled in between the lineups of the two teams.
Would anyone on this board know if Mort Rogers ever umpired a game?

I don't know if any of this helps, but it's a sort of connection with Lipman Pike and his times.

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Posted By: steven greenes

In addition to the three parallel cards in the 2003 Jewish Major Leaguers sets, there is a promo card of Lipman Pike issued in conjunctionm with the Big Jewish Book of Baseball. The promo card is Numner 11 and is in color.