This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 6/27/2002.
The Philadelphia Phillies ball club was formed in the late 1800s and became the oldest, continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional sports. In 1915, for the first time in team history, the Phillies made it to the World Series. The first photograph in this lot pictures the 1915 squad, including many stars like Hall of Famers Dave Bancroft, Grover C. Alexander, and Eppa Rixey. The other team photo is of the 1916 Phillies club, including such baseball luminaries as Dave Bancroft, Gavvy Cravath, Grover Alexander, and Eppa Rixey. Of key interest is that the photo also shows assistant trainer Billy Maharg, who was a principal conspirator in the 1919 Black Sox scandal, working with "Sleepy Bill Burns to bribe the Sox players. Both team shots are approx. 6.5" x 8.5" and are in very good condition with paper loss to the edges and a few scattered surface creases. The last photograph is approximately 8" x 10" and shows the pitching staff of the team which included Hall of Famer Chief Bender and has the date "Apr 22 1916" on the reverse side. It is in very good to excellent condition with paper loss to some edges and a light crease here and there. Two of the pictures were published in an article in the Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society. A copy of the article is included.