5. Spectacular 1884 Providence Greys Oversized Team Photo w/Hoss Radbourn (HOF) The 1884 Providence Grays were a beast of a team, finishing first in the National League with a record of 82-30. Hall of Fame pitcher Hoss Radbourn won an astonishing 60 of the team’s games, against just 12 losses, in 678.2 innings pitched. The team’s second pitcher, Charlie Sweeney, would’ve been a contender for the Cy Young Award if he was pitching today, his 17-8 record and 1.55 ERA an exceptional mark. The team didn’t hit well; outfielder Paul Hines led the club with a .302 batting average, third baseman Jerry Denny leading the team with 59 RBI. Behind their pitching, however, they swept the New York Metropolitans for the championship, with Hoss Radbourn winning all three games and pitching all 22 innings of championship play. It is safe to say that in Radbourn’s Hall of Fame career, his 1884 season stands out as his finest, setting career bests in wins, winning percentage, ERA, starts, complete games (73 complete games!), innings pitched, and strikeouts (441!). It was one of the finest single- season performances of the era. Presented here is an outstanding document of the ballclub from the era - a gorgeous photographic print on paper of the team,
ostensibly posed beind second base, the grandstand behind the plate at the Messer Street Grounds in the background. The players are all identified at the bottom of the photo, manager Frank Bancroft posed in the center. Identified in the photo are: FRONT ROW (L-R): Barney Gilligan, Paul Radford, Sandy Nava; BACK ROW (L-R): Hoss Radbourn (HOF), Charlie Sweeney, Miah Murray, Jerry Denny, Paul Hines, Frank Bancroft (Mgr), Joe Start, Charley Bassett, John Cattanach, Cliff Carroll, Arthur Irwin, and Jack Farrell. Professionally matted and framed to a finished size of 19” x 16”, the photo appears in outstanding condition, some light foxing and general toning visible around the edges. A slight blemish is noticeable at the bottom left, far from the image, and a light tear is visible at the top edge, also clear of the image itself. The frame prohibits us from examining the edges or reverse. Still, a fine example of a 19th Century photographic print, with crisp, clear imagery and tremendous display characteristics. A wonderful piece. MINIMUM BID: $3,000.00
Summer 2019 Premier Auction – Closes August 24, 2019
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