(LOT 1239)
Extremely Significant c.1939 Ted Williams Rookie Year Batting PSA Type 1 Encapsulated George Burke Photo - Measures Approx. 4" x 6" - Includes Full PSA Type 1 LOA
ROOKIE TED!!! The start of the 1939 Campaign would see the Boston Red Sox call up to Spring Training their strapping 20-year-old left-handed slugger Theodore Samuel Williams. The prior 1938 season, the star left fielder literally "tore up" the Class AA League playing for the Minneapolis Millers, batting a sensational .366, walloping 43 round-trippers and posting an uncanny .703 slugging percentage! Indeed, no rookie was ever more ready to join their MLB squad, and the lanky 6' 3" slugger was so impressive for the entire 1939 Spring Training tour, he left the BoSox with no other choice than to keep him on their opening day roster. To say Williams didn't disappoint might be the biggest understatement of a lifetime for "The Kid" posted one of the finest rookie years in baseball history including a .327 batting average, 31 homers, 145 runs batted in and an amazing 1.045 OPS.

No doubt, the Splendid Splinter was here to stay and he would go on to play 19 MLB seasons, ultimately earning the title of "baseball's greatest all-time hitter". Both young and old admirers worshiped him to the fullest, justifying why artifacts from his early playing days are highly coveted by the collecting community, let alone one that captures the unparalleled hitter in an awe-inspiring batting pose from his 1939 rookie campaign. One such keepsake is this extraordinary 4" x 6" PSA Type 1 encapsulated George Burke batting image originally taken in "The Kid's" historical 1939 inaugural campaign. In typical Burke fashion, the Cooperstown worthy image reveals breathtaking clarity and contrast while exhibiting near perfect centering. It's no secret that George Burke resides as one of baseball's foremost all-time photographers (along with Horner, Thompson, Bain, Van Oyen & Conlon), and this momentous rookie Williams offering truly captures his captivating work to the fullest. Donning his Boston-road flannels, Williams "side-view" classic swing has most likely resulted in Ted stroking another scalding line drive off of an overmatched hurler.

Minor flaws include several negligible creases along the upper edge and typical even corner wear, with no glaring blemishes impeding the museum worthy central image. The verso reflects the critical George Burke "Rdm Studio - 847 BELMONT AVE. CHICAGO" credit stamp, the final superlative for one of the most significant Ted Williams images extant. Since he was a little boy, Ted was fixated with ultimately becoming our National Pastime's finest hitter, boldly stating: "my dream is to be walking down the street with people passing me and saying there goes the greatest hitter who ever lived". This "Dream" was certainly fulfilled because most baseball historians firmly agree that "Teddy Ballgame" is baseball's greatest all-time hitter, substantiated by his .344 lifetime average, 521 home runs, nearly 2,000 R.B.I.s and the second highest slugging percentage ever (behind Babe Ruth). All of these amazing achievements were compiled with the "Thumper" missing five years in WWII and the Korean War as an amazing fighter pilot who shot down 16 enemy aircraft!

The last baseball player to hit .400 or better when he achieved a .406 average in his famous 1941 season, Williams accomplished all of his incredible feats in four decades (1939-1960). As previously stated, considering Ted was also a heroic fighter pilot in two wars (WWII & Korean War), it comes as little surprise that he will forever stand as the embodiment of a National Hero. Similar to Ted's sensational exploits are the breathtaking aesthetics of this extremely rare George Burke Type 1 rookie image that unquestionably resides as one of the foremost collectibles of the immortal Williams. The 1939 campaign was the year that the incomparable Ted Williams would begin his relentless march towards baseball immortality, embarking on a vocation that would eventually end with "The Kid's" legacy cemented in stone as our National Pastime's finest hitter who ever graced a batter's box. That said, we cannot image a finer testament for Ted Williams' iconic stature than an original George Burke PSA Type 1 1939 photo that effectively "turns back the clock" to the beginning of his incomparable career!

MIN BID $5,000