(LOT 623)
1920's Carl T. Thoner Walter Johnson Original Type I Photo - From The Walter Johnson Estate - Measures Approx. 8" x 10" - PSA Encapsulated Type I
You can almost feel the hissing from Walter Johnson's blazing fastball as you gaze at this magnificent 8" x 10" Carl T. Thoner Original Type I Johnson image! The "Big Train" has most likely unleashed one of his "un-hittable" pitches that ultimately led him to being heralded as the greatest pitcher in baseball history. A strong claim indeed but surely backed up by both traditional and the newly innovative saber-metric statistics that place Johnson as #1 on virtually all of these aforementioned charts. Johnson claim 417 victories with a second division team most of his illustrious career, posting an incredible 110 shutouts, 38 of them by a 1-0 score!

No wonder the baseball writers chose him as one of their five 1936 Hall of Fame Charter Members along with Ruth, Cobb, Wagner and Mathewson. His classic pitching pose photos are highly coveted in the market with only a handful of them possibly boasting the prestige and aesthetics as this "awe-inspiring" memento. Showing off his classic Washington Senators pinstripe uniform, Johnson has just completed his legendary side-arm throwing motion, with the black & white image portraying outstanding resolution and contrast.

We can only detect one glaring flaw, a possible vertical tear near the lower left quadrants border that does not impede the critical Johnson central image. The verso exhibits the "Carl T. Thoner, Washington, D.C." violet stamp, the final superlative for this superb c.1920's "Big Train" image that merits the utmost attention from any world-class photo enthusiast! - PSA Type I

MIN BID $300