This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/15/2020
The game of baseball was quickly gaining popularity in the early stages of the 20th century with past superstars like Cap Anson and "Old Hoss" Radbourn giving way to what we consider the true legends of baseball, sporting names like Cobb, Young, Mathewson, Wagner, and Johnson. As with any other rising "fad", businesses large and small glommed onto the baseball craze. While some lesser funded businesses used generic baseball scenes or players to try to boost sales, larger companies enlisted local stars, and the biggest of all went for nationally recognized players to help hawk their wares and convince the American public that since they just couldn't live without "product X" then neither should you. Most players were more than willing to strike a monetary deal in exchange for their likeness and endorsement as the life of a professional baseball player was not as lucrative a career as it is today. Sure Ty Cobb was living well but at his $9,000 salary in 1910, his earning value was still just $250,000 in today's dollars. Now consider a star like Roger Bresnahan who made one-third of Cobb's salary; any extra income was a blessing to him. Most of these advertising pieces have been long discarded, having served their intended purpose, but some still survive today. Of all the displays that are known to exist from the early 20th century, two stand out as the gold standard within the industry; the 1915 E145 Cracker Jack display poster, one of which was sold by Mile High Card Company in 2016, and the 1910 J. A. Peach Baseball Gloves Display featured here. It might be just a coincidence, or perhaps it was intentional, that J. A. Peach, founded by John Peach, sounded strikingly similar to A. J. Reach, the largest manufacturer of sporting goods in the United States at the time. In retrospect, the wordplay didn't pay off as very few examples of a Peach manufactured glove still exist today. Though the Peach Company was ultimately unsuccessful, they did achieve a degree of immortality by producing this incredible advertising piece, measuring approximately 19 ½” x 29 ¾” and depicting a stadium scene with various players, coaches and fans in view. What makes this piece truly breathtaking, other than it's sheer magnetism and use of color and design, is the hit parade of baseball stars that appear in the scene; virtually every major star of the time period. Of the 19 professionals in the display, 13 are members of the Hall of Fame with Cobb, Wagner, Mathewson and W. Johnson leading a group that also includes Speaker, Baker, Lajoie, Bender, Walsh, Bresnahan, Chance, McGraw and Mack. Originally discovered in lower condition, the piece has been expertly restored to a mint-like state that makes the alterations virtually undetectable to the naked eye. Given that only two other examples are known to exist, one of which resides in the Baseball Hall of Fame, this is simply the absolute pinnacle of excellence when it comes to any and all baseball-related advertising pieces.