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Circa 1915 "Smokey Joe" Williams Breakers Hotel Real Photo Postcard PSA Poor 1 (MK) -- Possibly Unique. ...
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Sold on Feb 25, 2024 for:
$16,200.00
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Description
Circa 1915 "Smokey Joe" Williams Breakers Hotel Real Photo Postcard PSA Poor 1 (MK) -- Possibly Unique. "If I was going to pick a man to throw hard, I'd have to pick Joe Williams," explained former Negro Leagues pitcher Sam Streeter. "I'd pick him over all of them. They talk about Satchel (Paige) and them throwing hard, but I think Joe threw harder. It used to take two catchers to hold him. By the time the fifth inning was over, that catcher's hand would be like that, all swollen up. He'd have to have another catcher back there the rest of the game."Born to parents of African-American and Comanche heritage in 1886, Williams was more than sixty years old by the time the Major League color barrier was broken, but he'd outpitched such aces as Walter Johnson, G.C. Alexander and Rube Marquard in exhibitions. In 1930, Williams struck out twenty-seven Kansas City Monarchs in a twelve-inning shutout. Williams finally earned his long overdue induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999.
To the best of our knowledge, this remarkable real photo postcard is not just the only example of its kind that survives to present day, but the only card known that derives from Williams' active career. It was produced in the winter of 1915-16 when the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, Florida hired a cast of top Negro Leaguers to face another such team hired by rival establishment the Royal Poinciana Hotel. A newspaper column of the day reported that, "Astors, Vanderbilts, Morgans, and hundreds of others, who never see a ball game outside of Palm Beach... (are) rooting hard for their favorite team."
You can see the first letter of "Breakers" on Williams' jersey, and the Floridian palm trees in the background, in this amazing image, with proud African-American spectators looking on. The silver gelatin image exhibits a degree of soiling, but the profound rarity of the piece renders any condition complaints absurd. Postcard back exhibits evidence of removal from a scrapbook and provides a hint to the reason for its survival to present day. A handwritten "6" in the corner accounts for the "MK" qualifier in the PSA assessment. Graded PSA Poor 1 (MK).
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Auction Info
2024 February 24 - 25 Winter Platinum Night Sports Auction #50068 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
February, 2024
24th-25th
Saturday-Sunday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 16
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 2,373
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20% of the successful bid per lot.
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