This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/6/2022
In the spring of 1925, Philadelphia A’s owner and manager Connie Mack was tipped off by his old friend Frank “Home Run” Baker about a big, muscle-bound teenager who was tearing the cover off the ball in Maryland’s Eastern Shore League. By May this unknown 17-year-old kid, still a junior in high school, had made his big-league debut and was a member of the Philadelphia A’s. Thus began the career of Jimmie Foxx, one of the greatest sluggers of all time. In 1927, the year this photo was taken, the only thing standing in the way of Foxx becoming a big-league star was that he was a catcher. The A’s already had future Hall of Famer Mickey Cochrane behind the plate, and Foxx’s bat was too valuable to waste as a back up catcher. Mack decided to mold his young find into a first baseman, and from 1925 through 1927, the teen platooned between first and spelling Cochrane behind the plate. This photograph captures Foxx in a classic, old-style catcher’s pose, with glove hand up and his right fist clenched in the receiving style favored before Johnny Bench came along. Though just 19 when this photo was snapped, one can see the raw brawn and powerful physique that would become Foxx’s trademark, and cause Yankees pitcher (and frequent victim of Foxx’s bat) Lefty Gomez to quip, “even his hair has muscles.” Foxx would ditch the “tools of ignorance” for good not long after this photo was taken and go on to help the A’s win three consecutive pennants and back-to-back World Championships. Foxx would win the AL’s MVP Award three times, lead the league in homers four times and take home the coveted Triple Crown in 1933 as he slugged his way to a place in Cooperstown. This Type 1 photo measures 6 1/2” x 8 1/2” and shows the expected edge wear. There is a small piece of paper missing from the right edge, but it is limited to the white border and does not affect the printed image. The reverse has been blacked out with pencil which obscures several stamps and handwritten notations. The original Acme photo service caption slug is still affixed. The rare image of Foxx who only played 108 of his 2200 games behind the plate has been encapsulated and graded a Type 1 Authentic by PSA.