Thursday, February 11, 2010

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.

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.