Directly from the family estate collection of Barney Stein comes this wonderful original photo of the 1951 Brooklyn Dodgers celebrating an important victory on the final day of the regular season. After blowing a 13-game lead (as late as August) over the New York Giants for the NL pennant, 'Dem Bums were able to salvage a tie with their rivals by beating the Phillies in a 9-8 thriller. Trailing 6-1, they tied it at 8-8 in the 8th inning before Jackie Robinson hit a game-winning solo shot in the top of the 14th. The joy in the clubhouse was short-lived, however, as three days later Bobby Thomson's famous "Shot Heard 'Round the World" won the pennant for the Giants and ended Brooklyn's season on the sourest of notes.
A smiling Jackie stands alongside Pee Wee Reese holding a beer can, with Roy Campanella and Don Newcombe to the right, and manager Chuck Dressen raising his cap. This pristine black and white original photo was printed off its original negative from the famous Dodgers photographer's camera many years later. The reverse has a Barney Stein stamp. It comes with letters from PSA/DNA (Type 2) and Barney Stein's daughter.
DATE: Sept. 30, 1951
GENERATION: First (printed from original negative)
PHOTOGRAPHER: Barney Stein
SIZE: 8 x 10
CONDITION: Mint
PROVENANCE: Barney Stein's daughter, Bonnie (Stein) Crosby
AUTHENTICATION: PSA/DNA Type II LOA
This same image is featured on page 1 of Through a Blue Lens, a 2007 book by Bonnie Crosby and Dennis D'Agostino (forewords by Peter O'Malley and Carl Erskine) that chronicled Barney Stein's 1937-1957 Brooklyn Dodgers photography.