This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/15/2020
The New York Yankees had won the American League pennant in 1927 and 1928, finishing 19 games ahead of the second-place Athletics in 27' and only 2.5 games better in 28'. As they closed the gap significantly in 1928, a lot of pundits thought that 29' could finally be the year that pushed the A's back over the top. Long-time Manager and part-owner, Connie Mack, was in the middle of his long managerial run, having took over as Manager in 1901, the team's first year of existence. He had already won the World Series in 1910, 1911, and 1913 and now was attempting to return Philadelphia to glory.Indeed, 1929 proved to be the Philadelphia Athletics' year as they won 104 games and dominated the regular season in the American League. They finished a league-best record of 104-46, a whopping 18 games ahead of the New York Yankees. All of the talent came together at the right time, and 29' launched a 3-year dynasty for the A's that saw some of the greatest baseball ever played over a three-year stretch. The gold leafed lettering on the cover identify the contents and make special note of both its presentation status and the photographer: "Snapshots/THE WORLD'S CHAMPIONS/BASEBALL CLUB OF 1929/TO MY FRIENDS/H. MADONNA WAGNER" The interior signed photos are comprised of the following: Thomas Shibe (team owner), Connie Mack (manager), Eddie Collins, Wm."Kid" Gleason (coach and former manager of the 1919 "Black" Sox), Earle Mack (coach), Mickey Cochrane, Jimmie Foxx, Joe Boley, George Burns, George Earnshaw, Al Simmons, Jack Quinn, Bing Miller, Lefty Grove, George Haas, Rube Walberg, Max Bishop, Jimmy Dykes, Eddie Rommel, Sam Hale, Bill Shores, Howard Ehmke, Jimmie Cronin, Walter French, Cy Perkins, Homer Summa, Lefty Yerkes, "Bevo" LeBourveau, and Steve Pflegler (inscribed "To my friend Harry"). The one unsigned photo as previously noted is that of Doc Ebling. The signatures, penned in a variety of fountain-pen inks (mainly black or blue) range from "7" to "10," averaging "9," with the exception of Earle Mack and Eddie Rommel, both of which are faint ("3/4"). Seventeen of the photos, all of which bear the photographer's embossed stamp near the base, have been mounted (by means of adhesive on the reverse) to their respective album page. The remaining thirteen photos are mounted by means of plastic photo corners and can be easily removed from the album if so desired. Aside from some minor rippling, the photos remain in Excellent to Mint condition overall. These are high-quality professional photos. They have been protected from all elements including light so it is not surprising that all are very impressive images with outstanding contrast. The exterior covers of the album (12 x 7.25 inches) display moderate wear commensurate with their age. The extreme rarity of these albums is naturally due to the fact that they were distributed only to team members and front office executives. While by definition few were issued, fewer still have survived. If each of these photos were removed and offered individually they would present as the finest autographed Mint example that has ever been offered. While we do not encourage such action it is fuel for thought as each of the photographs as well as signatures present minimally as NM/MT to GEM MINT. An exceptional offering that comes with our utmost of recommendations!