Image of Addie Joss at League Park in Cleveland. This photo is by Louis Van Oeyen, the noted Cleveland based photographer, circa 1908.
Joss photos are very rare as he died at age 31 in the prime of his career. Even rarer are images of him on the mound in League Park. Joss was elected to the Hall of Fame and is the only Hall of Famer with less than ten full seasons in the Majors.
The 1908 date is based on the uniforms and the fact the image was used in the 1909 Reach American League Guide.
Zack Wheat’s powerful swing captured by Charles Conlon. The second set of images at bottom, which are not in the collection, show Wheat’s signature on the back as well Conlon’s Stamp. This photo was also used for Wheat’s 1927 Exhibit card.
Ty Cobb handwritten letter circa 1908 accompanied by a Graig Kreindler color study of Cobb. Letters and signatures from early in Cobb’s career, he started in 1906, are almost impossible to find. The intriguing detective story behind solving the date of this Cobb letter is…
Late Deadball Era image of HOFer George Sisler swinging. Image by N.E.A.