(LOT 128)
Extremely Rare c.1915 Nap Lajoie PSA Type 1 Encapsulated George Grantham Bain Photo – Measures Approx. 4" x 4-7/8" - PSA Type I LOA
One of baseball's greatest second baseman, Napoleon "Nap" Lajoie, was winding down his incredible career in 1915, finally retiring after the 1916 campaign. For 21 seasons, Nap Lajoie terrorized American League hurlers via his 3,243 hits and stellar .338 lifetime batting average. Nicknamed "The Frenchman", his 1901 .426 batting average still reigns supreme as a modern-day record; a year in which he also claimed baseball's inaugural 20th century Triple Crown award. He captured a sensational 5 A.L. modern-day batting titles, and his legacy was secured for eternity when in 1937, he was among the second group of baseball legends to be voted into the illustrious Hall of Fame.

This circa 1915 PSA Type 1 George Grantham Bain photo depicts the immortal second sacker in a leisurely moment as Lajoie dons his classic Philadelphia Athletics uniform and provides Bain's camera with a "sheepish-like" grin. Measuring approximately 4" x 4-7/8" (standard size for many Bain photos), the image emulates awe-inspiring contrast and resolution, with the scattered surface impressions and creases situated around the critical central pose. The standard Bain white text is affixed across the upper edge, reading: "LAJOIE (ATHLETICS)", and the verso includes the significant GEORGE GRANTHAM BAIN NEWS SERVICE credit stamp as well as a number of stray notations. Any pre-WW1 Bain photo is worthy of serious attention, let alone one that portrays one of our National Pastime's all-time icons who was respected as much if not more by the entire baseball community!

MIN BID $200
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