(LOT 683)
Ultra-Scarce 1943 War Bonds Poster – Measures Approx. 14" x 22" w/Framed Dimensions of 20" x 28"
The United States entry into World War II led to many promotional campaigns to raise money in support of our country's war efforts. Newspapers across America pushed for our Nationalistic citizens to buy war bonds, with one of those periodicals being the New York American Journal Newspaper that organized a "war bond" exhibition game to be played at the Polo Grounds on August 26, 1943. Only a year earlier, a similar event had been realized at Yankee Stadium before 69,000 fans that attended a doubleheader between the Yankees and Senators (August 23, 1942). The premise of these events was to raise money for Army and Naval relief funds via ticket sales and advertisement, as well as selling a vast number of war bonds to patriotic baseball fans. The 1942 event at Yankee Stadium would see Babe Ruth step to the plate against Walter Johnson with the Bambino clouting one of Johnson's pitches deep into the right field seats to the utmost delight of 69,000 captivated fans.

The main attraction for the August 26, 1943 event was an exhibition game featuring seven of the twelve HOF living members (including Ruth, Wagner and Johnson) as well as other current stars versus the U.S. Army New Cumberland Reception team that included Greenberg, Murtaugh, Hitchcock and Slaughter (the baseball stars defeated the Army team 5-2). The Polo Grounds attendance was 35,000 and much to their pleasure, as an added attraction Babe Ruth would once again face off against Walter Johnson and wallop another homer off of the "Big Train", marking his final long ball in a Major League stadium! One of the imposing advertising posters utilized to promote the war bond effort is presented here; a remarkable and ultra-rare billboard measuring 14' x 22" and framed to 20" x 28" dimensions. The black & white poster includes a total of 27 prominent baseball names and related portrait poses for the players who supported the war effort either through their charity contributions (including war bond promotional work) or oversees enlisted service. One of those players, the immortal Henry Louis Gehrig, unfortunately died in June 1941 via the tragic ALS disease, some six months before the Japanese would bomb Pearl Harbor that led to America entering the dreadful WWII.

For promotional purposes, this poster was issued with a large fielding pose of the iconic "Iron Horse" as an added touch to an already charismatic illustration. The center includes a special presentation caption in eloquent script reading: "Presented to - Mr. Les Weyer (name written in period style pen) – In honor and citation of a personal contribution to the April, 1943 United States War Bond Drive, to defeat the Axis." While no obtrusive surface defects are evident, there are several modest creases situated near the poster's lower edge, situated on the Cecil Travis and Vernon Kennedy images. An extraordinary and rare memento from the 1940's war bond effort, it resides as a momentous reminder of how our National Pastime supported the war effort in unwavering fashion, assisting America in defeating the inhumane oppression of the dreadful Axis. For informational purposes, a full list of the 27 players affixed to this outstanding poster (from left to right) is as follows: Feller, Murphy, Ruffing, Baker, B. Johnson, Foxx, Averill, York, Grove, Joe DiMaggio, Gomez, Rolfe, Greenberg, McCarthy, Allen, Gehrig (oversized fielding pose), Fletcher, Schulte, Newsom, Cramer, Gehringer, Dickey, Travis, Kennedy, Ferrell, Cronin.


MIN BID $500
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