(LOT 143)
1942 Joe DiMaggio & Ted Williams Dugout Talking" PSA Type I Original Associated Press Photo – Measures Approx. 7" x 9" - PSA Type I LOA
The 1941 season marked two batting legends accomplishing miraculous feats, with Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams both achieving batting standards never before seen again. That was the year that "Joltin Joe" would set the baseball world upside down via his record-setting 56-game hitting streak that eclipsed the previous 44-game mark by 12 games. While DiMaggio was posting a hit in seemingly every game with his "Bronx Bombers" Yankees, Red Sox legend Ted Williams was on an eventual path for becoming baseball's last .400 hitter. The "Splendid Splinter" entered the final day of the season with an even .400 batting average, but rather than "playing it safe", he chose to play in the season's final doubleheader.

Ted did not disappoint the Boston faithful, going 6 for 8 in the two games and ending his season with an unfathomable .406 average, the last player to ever accomplish that near-impossible achievement. While the season would eventually end with the Yankees winning the World Series and DiMaggio capturing the Most Valuable Player award, it almost seemed as an anti-climax compared to the accomplishments of these two baseball-giants. This sensational 1942 Associated Press PSA DNA Type 1 7" x 9" photo portrays these two iconic Cooperstown inductees in a leisurely moment atop the Red Sox dugout only a year after they achieved their incredible batting feats; with the image taken approximately one year before they would be summoned by "Uncle Sam" in 1943 to join the millions of other American heroes in World War II.

Ted Williams would actually capture the Triple Crown in 1942 via his 36 home runs, 137 R.B.I.'s, and stellar .356 batting average, the first of two Triple crowns he would claim (his second was in 1947). The image itself appears as if it was just issued via the sparkling clarity and brilliant contrast that virtually brings these two baseball immortals to life. No obtrusive surface blemishes are evident, and the verso reveals the Associated Press credit stamp that is partially covered by the affixed caption. A captivating heirloom from the early 1940's, it sparks vivid memories of a period of time when they were not only achieving the pinnacle of batting success, but more significantly, ably assist America in our fight for freedom! - LOA – PSA/DNA Type I

MIN BID $300