Fantastic 1889 Brooklyn Bridegrooms Scorecard at Goodwin & Co. Auctions

Here is something you don't see everyday.

Featured here is a 1889 Brooklyn Bridegrooms scorecard.  As you may know, this year was the franchises last as a member of the American Association.  The following season they would join the National League where they continue to this day.  BTW, the Bridegrooms moniker is one of the many different nicknames given to the Brooklyn club.  At the time, teams did not have official names.  As for how Bridegrooms became popular, as the story goes several of the teams players got engaged at the same time, so naturally the fans (and the press) chose what was most suitable. (If you're interested in reading a biography focused on the club when they were known as the Bridegrooms I suggest reading Ronald Shafer's book called "When the Dodgers were Bridegrooms."  Check out my interview with the author here.)

This scorecards is one of the earliest artifacts of its kind from the Dodgers franchise.  Best yet, Goodwin & Co. auction house was kind enough to share pics of several of the pages within it in their auction listing.  I've captured all of those photos below, and included the biographies created for each individual player so that you may learn a little bit more about a few of the earliest Dodger players.  Since the pics provided aren't particularly clear I've done my best to recreate them.  Check out these pics and biographies below the fold.

As you can see below, the club was playing their games at Washington Park; their very first home and onetime headquarters for General George Washington during the Revolutionary War.  I had previously written extensively about this ballpark here. 

A Couple of Willard Mullin "Brooklyn Bum" Drawings at Auction

As I've written numerous times before, I can't stop enjoying the artistic works of Willard Mullin.  As you probably know, he was the sports editorial cartoonist who created the "Brooklyn Bum".  Currently, a couple of his original drawings are available for auction at Goodwin & Co., and I knew I had to share them with you in this post.  BTW, click on any pic to embiggen.

Below is an undated drawing that has been titled, "Now Pitching for Brooklyn," but based on the subject matter it is likely from mid-1947 or a little later.  As you'll see, it laments the loss of the pennant to St. Louis in 1946 - noting that some argue that the trade of Billy Herman to the Boston Braves handed the pennant to the Cardinals (they eventually won the World Series).  Later on, it addresses the mid-1947 trades of pitchers Kirbe Higbe and Hank Behrman to Pittsburgh as unwise.  After all, sending those pitchers away can only come back and bite us in the rear. In the end, Mullin suggest that there maybe a secret high-priced ace (the Dodgers received $100k in the trade with Pittsburgh) coming to the Dodgers, but screams out, "that will be the day!"

As we know today, the trades made at that time are closely related to the promotion of Jackie Robinson.  The team felt it necessary to rid the team of certain "southern" influences (to put it lightly) in hopes of making Jackie's transition to the team a little bit less taxing.  After all, it's bad enough that the opposition has it out for you, but your own teammates?  Well, Durocher, Rickey and O'Malley found a solution - ship them out of Brooklyn.

(Auction Link)

This next drawing is titled, "Duty Calls, 'Yoo Hoo'," and I don't quite get it.  Let me know if you have any idea what this drawing is all about.  At least the drawings are funny.  It is undated.

(Auction Link)

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Goodwin & Co: A 1887 Card of Beloved Dodger- Darby O'Brien

Goodwin & Co. recently concluded their most recent auction, so I thought I would feature a really old card they sold of a Brooklyn favorite.

Check out the card below of old Brooklyn Bridegrooms/Grays William "Darby" O'Brien.  Born in Peoria, Illinois in 1863, Darby came of age just as Baseball was exploding in popularity.  He was a right handed batter with a good bat, great speed, and a head for the game.  Unfortunately, he would only have 6 years to show his stuff.

Darby first joined the Brooklyn team after opening his rookie year with the New York Metropolitans in 1887 at the age of 23.  Later in the year as the Metrolpolitans were closing shop, he was packaged along with 7 other teammates to Brooklyn for a then princely sum of approximately $25,000.00, and signed on for the next season for a reported annual salary of $1,900.00.  The outfielder was described by The New York Times as an "honest, competent, hard-working and game ballplayer."  For a working class neighborhood these traits quickly endeared him to the fans. 

He would bat .280 in his first season, while knocking in 65 runs and stealing 55 bases.  The next year he would bat .300, and hit a career high 5 home runs (this was quite a lot back then).  Over his first 5 season with Brooklyn he would have a batting average of .278 with 648 hits, 321 RBI's and 272 steals (he currently ranks 137th on the Majors all-time steals list with 321).

Then, lung problems he developed in his career caused him to enter the 1893 season in less than healthy shape.  The team captain could no longer play, so he was sent to Colorado to allow his lungs to recover.  Soon, the team and the community got behind him by putting together a benefit game in his honor in hopes of helping him pay for his treatment and his future.  A news report from that time period indicates that 9,000 people showed up and $5,000.00 was raised.  Every dollar earned from ticket and scorecard sales went directly to him.  Heck, it was reported that numerous tickets were sold that were never used.

Unfortunately, his change of scenery did not help Darby.  Later that year in 1893 he would die of typhoid fever.

Below is a 1887 N172 Old Judge card of O'Brien that recently sold for $346.29.

(Auction Link)

Goodwin Auctions: 19th Century Brooklynite Dan Foutz

Here is a great and truly vintage 19th century Baseball card currently available on auction from Goodwin & Company. It features do-it-all ballplayer Dave Foutz of the Brooklyn Bridegrooms (an early incarnation of the Dodgers). Foutz was decent with the bat, he could field multiple positions and he was a very accomplished pitcher... Heck, he even managed the Dodgers for a time. This guy was a Victorian Baseball renaissance man.

His numbers don't lie. As a pitcher, in 1886 he won 41 games while losing only 16 with a ERA of 2.11. That year he threw 504 innings, had 55 complete games and had a ERA+ of 164. As a batter a year later, 1887, he would hit .357 with a OPS of .901. In 1889 he stole 64 bases. His ability to do it all made it seem that he was destined to become a superstar. Unfortunately, he fell short of greatness, although Baseball Reference does compare his career quite favorably with that of Hall of Famer Dizzy Dean. It is said that Foutz suffered through asthma throughout his life and eventually succumbed to it at the age of 40 - only a year after leaving the game.

The card below is one of the scarcer Baseball cards out there. It was produced in 1895 by Mayo's Cut Plug.

(Auction Link)

Goodwin Auction: A Silk Masterpiece

Goodwin & Co. always seems to have some incredible vintage Baseball collectibles and their current auction is no exception. Just check out the couple of items I've highlighted below.

This is a very rare 1911 S81 Silk premium of Brooklyn Dodger pitcher Nap Rucker. These pieces measure 7" x 9" and were produced by Helmar Cigarettes. With a redemption of 25 gift slips packaged within Helmar's Turkish Trophies tobacco products you receive your choice of a silk premium. With regards to the Nap Rucker item, I'll let the auctions own description to speak.

You can feel the energy as Rucker stands poised to rocket into his windup. Upward arcing lines sweep along his back, as twisting flannel twirls beneath his outstretched left arm. Darkness hides the pitcher’s eyes from both the batter and the viewer, to provide mystery as to the upcoming pitch. Shadows cascade down the Dodger blue of Rucker’s socks, as his legs begin their push toward a homeward kick. We believe there are few better examples of the art of the pitch than what was created for this silk showpiece.

I don't think I could have said it any better.

Auction Link:

This postcard is just incredible. Below is 1907 postcard featuring a very young Walter Johnson. As you may know, Johnson played in Southern California as a young boy in the city of Fullerton at the turn of the century. Even then he was a great pitcher. One afternoon, for Fullerton High School, he struck out an astounding 27 batters in a 15 inning performance. Later on, his family moved to Weiser, Idaho were he continued to impress fans in the Idaho State League. Soon, they started calling him the "Weiser Wonder"- as can be attributed in the below postcard. This card is the true rookie card of this Baseball legend and is one of only two known to exist. What's even better is that the postcard below was once owned by Walter Johnson. It was mailed to him by a fan and he happily kept it in his own collection.

Auction Link:

Goodwin: Dodger Related Rarities

Goodwin & Co. recent auction features some very significant Dodger related Baseball cards. The first gem is the below Mint graded 1948-49 Leaf rookie card of Jackie Robinson. You just don't see cards looking "pack-fresh" like this. It sold for a well deserved $23,183.93.

Auction Link: 1948 Leaf Jackie Robinson:

Branch Rickey is one of the great pioneers of this great game. Below is a 1914 Cracker Jack card of Rickey that sold for $2,590.88. Cracker Jack cards have grown in popularity due to its scarcity and fragility. The cards are paper thin and are easily damaged. Also, mint examples feature a deep bright red background that makes the player look like he's jumping out of the card. This set is one of my favorites, and if I ever have enough dough it would be my first purchase.

Auction Link: Cracker Jack Branch Rickey:

The 1968 3-D Set is one of the rarest test issues made by Topps. They date two years before the very popular Kellogg's sets of the 70's and feature just 12 players. The only Dodgers available were Willie Davis and Ron Fairly. The backgrounds are purposely blurred with a sharp photograph of a players portrait. The Willie Davis and Ron Fairly cards each sold for $426.53 a piece.

Auction Link: Willie Davis 1968 Topps 3D:

Auction Link: Ron Fairly 1968 Topps 3D: