Base Ball Team Real Photo Postcards Pre-1940, Don't Strike Out, Show 'Em Now

There was a Baseball picture postcard thread started back in 2008 by Bobby1313131(Forum Dad) but now it is locked. I could find no other thread for this, so I will start one. If one of the mods or forum gods or Forum-Daddy himself wishes to unlock that thread and merge this post there, go for it. The old small and large town teams seemed to be all around America back in the day. I enjoy them, especially when mailed and would like to see a SCF topic for them. I could no, so I started this one.

NOW SHOW US your baseball team and related postcards, please.

This is the title of the current eBay listing:

"1908 WILTON IOWA BASEBALL TEAM RPPC"

The card is shown below, front and back.

It is a cleanly written message by Maude which ends with the "What do you think of our ball team" query. Mailed May 6 1908 with a 1901 Franklin 1 cent from Wilton Junction, Iowa to her fried "Loyd" in Iowa City, Iowa.

The 1910 census lists the population as 1157. Yet the town folk put out a baseball team. Wilton Junction, now just Wilton, is home to the oldest continuously running ice cream parlor in the world which opened in 1867. The Wilton Candy Kitchen still serves the now just under 2900 people in the town.

The photo says it all, laid back players, bat boys, gloves, balls and bats even an umpire looking gentleman. Small slice of Americana.







eBay item 402924023157


*** Edited by Staff to clarify topic title. Titles are important! ***

Real Picture Post Cards (RPPC) are an interesting look at back in the days . The look on these guys and pose is quite classic. Not my area, but put it on the watch-list to see what it does.The site seems to have a few interesting other things.
Thanks for showing,
pat

Parcelpostguy - Thanks for posting this great old piece of Iowa history. I am from Iowa, so that is why I think it's an awesome card.




Yes, with the help of a few farm boys who did not live in town, they lived in the country.

Take a look at the boy with the turtleneck sweater and the wristwatch on his right arm, in the center left. He was from town. Now take a look at the big guy in the back row right, with the tanned skin and his hat worn sideways. He was a farm boy. His right hand is on the shoulder of the tanned face boy in front of him. He was a farm boy, too. I like the dude in the front left, laying down, with cleats toward the camera. His nose looks like he took a ball in the face, or he was in a fist fight, one or the other.

These Iowa boys played the game we used to call, "old-fashioned country hardball."

Linus

Setting this in Iowa was no mistake...

One of my all-time favorite movies, and I hit a couple hardballs on that exact field in Dyersville, Iowa.

Wow, with days to go, the card is at $102.50 $113.61 (I must type slowly) at the moment.

Okay, I've seen other real picture postcard ball team cards but never paid attention to the price. I would not have guessed three figures, but today I can say "perhaps three figures" with the sound of authority.

Sold for $128.89 plus $1.75 S&H, six bidders with 31 bids.

I am asking the mod gods to change this thread's title. I really wanted this to be about base ball real photo postcards. I also failed to include the link to the 2008 thread I mentioned in the OP: https://www.stampcommunity.org/topi...TOPIC_ID=106

It seems I am developing an interest in these and given baseball is the national pastime, they find a broader audience than just stamp and postal history collectors. Additionally these have not been commercialized in the manner of baseball cards.

So now to add another one.



This is listed as, "Mint USA Real Picture Postcard Us Marine Corps Baseball Players Team 1915" on eBay now. Was $1500 but now on Sale for $1300 or make offer.

As I said before, I do not yet understand the pricing range of these cards. But I am learning on card at a time.

Please post your real photo base ball** team postcards.


** I am writing it as "base ball" as that seems to be how it was written back in the day.

It would be interesting to know who purchased the card, and what collecting interest led him to bid what he did.Is he a fan of the history or a home town connection?
All I know is, I would not steal home on those guys in the card you showed.
pat

In my limited experience - derived from observation, as I never win any - the role of postal collectors, stamp collectors or even postcard collectors in the market for sporting postcards is marginal. Here, it's people who are interested in football who bid up the cards - the chance to secure an Edwardian picture of your team is plainly irresistible for many.

I collect baseball cards also--not sure if everybody is aware of this, but baseball card market has been very hot over the last year, even more so than stamps. I have seen interest in these local amateur team postcards within baseball card community, and it does not surprise me to see these selling over $100. Postcards of MLB players/teams have always had a certain interest because you can get vintage postcard much cheaper than a baseball card (especially hall of famers like Babe Ruth whose baseball cards are very expensive). One of the interesting things about these local team postcards, is that they are often the only existing record left for that team. Not sure how much organized hobby exists for this, but there are definitely baseball collectors looking for these postcards.

Here's a 1900s real photo of a small town base ball (it was two words back then) batter with a bat grip which looks like he'll break his wrists if he swings too hard. The stands are packed with...well, there are some people there. Great American game at this time in our sports history

What a wonderful thread.

Baseball is one of the greatest gifts America has given to the world IMHO.

I'm with Linus; one of my favourite films also.

Edit: This is post 1955 for me. Every baseball fan knows who won the world series in 1955

I thought we gave the world rounders, Bobby.

Indeed Geoff, probably an ancestor.

https://www.britannica.com/sports/rounders

I have to agree on the universal appeal of the game, called America's Game for so many generations. I grew up following "my team" with collecting the baseball cards they were on, reading the morning papers to see last nights scores, seeing the magazines covering the stars at the corner drug store, etc. etc.
Here's an early card showing the outfield (fence posts here) and the loyal fans who assembled there to see the game and watch "the boys" ..a few players are noted at the extreme right end of the image, with their spiffy white socks. The date was 1917.