This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 5/11/2001.
This remarkable and historic find is one of the few photographs ever taken of a team of big leaguers in the midst of an off-season barnstorming tour. Many players made extra money by playing local competition along the trails of the Midwest, and some games against similar all-star squads from the Negro leagues became immediately legendary such as when Bob Feller would match serves with Satchel Paige or Dizzy Dean would face Josh Gibson, yet records are scarce of these "Bingo Long"encounters and team photos even scarcer, in part because some big leaguers had contracts prohibiting such play and had to keep their identities a secret. This magnificent sepia-toned, 12" x 14" photo is doubly valuable as it not only captures the roster and camaraderie of one big league barnstorming unit around 1930, but features the signatures of all 16 players, including Hall of Famers Jimmie Foxx, Heinie Manush and Ted Lyons. Others include Pinky Higgins, Earle Mack, Dick Porter, Bruce Campbell, Roger Cramer, Al Thomas, Rube Walberg, Al Shacht. The signatures are in a light brown matted area outside the brown and white-bordered photo. They were written in black fountain pen and range from 7s to 9s. There is a gold border around this area, within the black background of an excellent condition brown wood frame.