When you want to produce more sales for your products, in this case writing tablets, use famous baseball players to promote your product. This writing tablet shows how popular baseball was at the time, and it is ironic that while players were used to promote learning, most players of that era were not formally well educated.
The tablet includes four players, a primary player photo directly above three smaller vignettes. Above the photos is the "Play Ball" banner. It measure 8" x 10" and is generally in excellent condition with a few chips along the bottom edge, some staining on the back cover, and some of the white lined pages. However, when the tablet is closed, the stains cannot be seen.
This tablet includes the best players of the time. Babe Ruth, in a Boston Red Sox uniform, graces the cover of this example. Even before he became a New York Yankee in 1920, Ruth was very popular, as he won 23 and 24 games, respectively, in 1916 and 1917. Plus, in 1918, Ruth led the American League in home runs with 11, while also winning 13 games on the mound. It is still the only time a regular starting pitcher led a league in home runs. The three smaller images include players Slim Sallee, Eddie Collins and Eddie Cicotte, the infamous banned Black Sox pitcher.
For several reasons, we believe this tablet can be quarantined to the 1919 season, the infamous Black Sox scandal season. First, Slim Sallee was an established pitcher in the 1910's decade, but is shown in the vignette wearing a Cincinnati hat. Sallee only pitched for the Reds during the 1919-1920 seasons, with 1919 the only full season. Second, Ruth is shown in a Red Sox uniform, and his last year in Beantown was 1919. Third, Cicotte was a big part of that 1919 White Sox team which threw the World Series to the Reds. Along with seven other players, Cicotte was banned for life from organized baseball in 1920.
The Reds and White Sox were easily the two best teams in baseball during the 1919 season, and Ruth continued his hitting dominance in 1919, winning his second straight home run crown. We believe the tablet manufacturer was taking advantage of the popularity of the teams and of Ruth's largesse.
While it is possible that the tablet could be from early 1920, several factors indicate otherwise. Ruth was purchased from the Red Sox by the Yankees in January 1920. If from 1920, Ruth would have been in a Yankee uniform. Second, while Cicotte did play for all of the 1920 season, there were rumblings from late 1919 about "The Fix," and we do not believe the manufacturer would have used the scandalous Cicotte in any type of promotion.
This tablet is a seldom seen item, featuring the most famous baseball player of all time, Babe Ruth. In addition, we believe it can be accurately dated to 1919, the famous Black Sox season, with a photo of one of the banned players prominently displayed. A great item featuring the best player of all time and the biggest scandal to hit our National Pastime.
This is a must have for the Ruth or Black Sox collector.