(LOT 1258)
1926 Original 6-1/2" x 8-1/2" Paul Waner Type 1 N.E.A. News Service Photo - PSA Encapsulated
The elder of the two Hall of Fame Waner brothers, Paul, began his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1926 manning right field at the Forbes Filed for the Buccos. As a 23-year-old rookie, Paul led the league in triples and added 11 stolen bases while batting .336 in his first year. Waner was referred to as "a speedy outfielder who possessed perhaps the strongest arm in a Pittsburgh outfield until the arrival of Roberto Clemente". In 1927, Paul led the National League in hits (237), triples (18), RBIs (131) and batting average (.380) en route to the NL MVP Award. He would play 20 seasons in the big leagues with four different team, and amassed a career .333 batting average, 191 triples (still 10th all time), 1,309 RBIs and 3,152 hits.

He is the seventh player in history to collect 3,000 or more hits for his career. Presented is an original rookie-era Type 1 photograph of the youthful outfielder and elder Hall of Fame Waner brother. Shown posing with his bat in hand in follow-thru, this N.E.A. (Newspaper Enterprise Assoc.) photo measures 6-1/2" x 8-1/2" and displays in excellent condition. Virtually no flaws interrupt the central subject image though light surface defects are visible in the form of light abrasions. The borders show expected signs of nearly 100 years of aging with lightly touched corners and the bottom edge. The back of this PSA encapsulated image displays a "Reference Dept. - Oct 14 1926 - N.E.A." reference stamp and pencil notations "Paul Waner - Outfielder - Pittsburg".

MIN BID $200