(LOT 109)
Extremely Rare 1919 "Black Sox" PSA Type 3 Encapsulated Underwood & Underwood Team Photo – Period Photo from 1919/'20 - Measures Approx. 6-1/2" x 10"
The momentous impact of the "Black Sox" 1919 scandal when eight players were banned from professional baseball for "throwing" the World Series against the underdog Cincinnati Reds cannot be overemphasized. While it was certainly our National Pastime's most tragic circumstance, its immense prestige has ultimately placed the entire incident at an unequivocal grandeur level. Artifacts relating to the "infamous eight" players involved in the "fix" are ultra-desirable, and one of those extremely revered collectibles is a period-issued 1919 team picture depicting all eight of the alleged culprits. With that in mind, presented here just happens to be a very scarce PSA "Type 3" 1919 White Sox Underwood & Underwood team photo portraying 24 team members, and including all eight of the players eventually banned from professional baseball by renowned baseball commissioner Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis.

Thoroughly reviewed by PSA, the "Type 3" designation indicates it is a PERIOD-ISSUED generational photo, meaning it was issued during the c.1919 era from a duplicate negative. Seldom surfacing in the hobby and to the best of our knowledge, this is only the third "period" 1919 White Sox team photo we have seen, with only one of those being a true Type 1 image. It is no secret among the hobby's advanced photo enthusiasts that ultra-rare "Type 3" images are immensely desirable considering their issue date is from the era when the original negative was produced (similar to Type 1 photos and unlike less desirable Type 2 & 4 images that were typically issued at a far later date from the original negative's inception). This justifies why the extreme paucity level of this "period" 1919 Black Sox offering places it as one of the most significant team photos on the planet, with the 24 players listed as follows ("Black Sox 8" are highlighted):

Front Row: (left to right): Karr, Mayer, McClellan, Eddie Collins, Wilkinson; Middle Row: (left to right): Schalk, Jenkins, John Collins, Gleason (Manager), Fred McMullin, Joe Jackson, E. Murphy, Leibold, Buck Weaver; Back Row (left to right): Loundermilk, Ed Cicotte, B. James, Chick Gandil, Swede Risberg, Lefty Williams, Lynn, Happy Felsch, Faber, Sullivan

All eight "Black Sox" players are accounted for in this remarkable photo, eventually branded the most scandalous group of players to ever grace a baseball diamond. So how did this historic black mark on baseball ever materialize? So, the story goes, it most likely commenced when Chick Gandil was approached by an Arnold Rothstein sponsored Chicago thug with the intent of "paying off" White Sox players to "throw away" the 1919 World Series against Cincinnati. Afterwards, Gandil met seven of his teammates at the distinguished Ansonia Hotel on September 21, 1919 to promote his unlawful idea and the "fix" was officially in. Prompting some of the players to accept such a dishonest arrangement were the deep pockets of their incredibly cheap owner Charles Comiskey who actually initiated the "Black Sox" nickname in 1918 by continuously having his players wear dirty uniforms to avoid excessive laundry bills. The names of the" infamous eight" will echo for eternity: "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, Buck Weaver, Ed Cicotte, Chick Gandil, Claude "Lefty" Williams, Swede Risberg, Fred McMullin and Hap Felsch.

The stories behind the "fix" still linger on including the following three legendary scenarios: (1) a young boy yelling to Shoeless Joe Jackson as he walked out of a court room "Say it ain't so Joe" - (2) did Weaver or Jackson actually throw games considering their affluent batting achievements? - (3) should Judge Landis have banned all eight players from baseball forever after they were found not-guilty in a court of law? Of course, the laundry list of landmark instances relating to the 1919 Black sox reads on and on, with a significant level of ambiguity still residing over many of these issues that will most likely never achieve full resolution. What we do know with 100% certainty is that the day after all eight players were acquitted in a court of law, based on their alleged guilt, Judge Landis officially banned them from baseball forever on August 3, 1921 via his following hallowed statement: "Regardless of the verdict of juries, no player who throws a baseball game, no player who undertakes or promises to throw a baseball game, no player that sits in conference with a bunch of crooked gamblers where the ways and means of throwing a game are discussed and does not promptly tell his club about it, will ever play professional baseball." Baseball history was now carved in stone, with the entire scenario now belonging to the ages.

Commissioner Landis' renowned declaration ensured that the 1920 MLB campaign would be the last for all eight players involved in the "fix", and it is this historical precedence that escalates a "period-issued" 1919 White Sox team photo to an illustrious plateau. As previously stated, all eight "Black Sox" players are included in this hallowed 6-1/2" x 10" black & white image that emulates stellar clarity and a somewhat darker toned contrast. You can literally see the depth perception created by the three rows of players with each subject donning their classic White Sox uniforms and period style caps. Issued on September 11, 1919 by the renowned Underwood & Underwood News Service, the verso reveals their critical credit stamp as well as a significant caption that lists all of the aforementioned 24 players news as mentioning the White Sox are leading the American League and will undoubtedly play the Cincinnati Reds for the World Championship.

Other than a vertical crease near the upper left edge, no obtrusive flaws are evident, with the imposing central image and rather large upper and lower borders eluding any serious blemishes. In closing, the historical significance of this museum worthy masterpiece is momentous to say the least, especially considering the iconic "Shoeless" Joe Jackson played a major role in this tragic fiasco. It is no secret that locating a "period" 1919 Black Sox team photo is synonymous to "finding a needle in a haystack", with its world-class attributes including unquestionable rarity, a period "Type 3" issue date and an unquenchable storied link to a vital part of our National Pastime's celebrated past!

MIN BID $1,000
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