Shoeless Joe Jackson occupies a unique place in baseball history as arguably the most famous ballplayer not enshrined in the Hall of Fame. It’s not that his numbers don’t warrant that honor – a .356 lifetime average, three-time leader in triples, World Series Champion, and one of the rare players to have hit over .400. Indeed, in his playing days, Jackson was considered one of the greatest hitters in the game. His swing was said to be so perfect that a young Babe Ruth willingly admitted that he patterned his own after it. Jackson’s big bat was one of the main reasons for the Chicago White Sox being an American League powerhouse in the late teens through 1920, winning two pennants and a World Championship. Unfortunately for Jackson and baseball as a whole, it is the year of this last White Sox pennant that brought his downfall. As all baseball fans know, Shoeless Joe and seven of his White Sox teammates conspired with gamblers to lose the 1919 World Series. Controversy swirls to this very day about the extent of Jackson’s involvement. The stats show he didn’t play like he was trying to lose: batting a series best .375 with no errors and his 12 base hits set a World Series record that stood for 65 years. However, word of the scandal spread during the 1920 season resulting in Jackson and seven other teammates forever banished from the game.
And because Joe Jackson’s career ended prematurely in 1920, he has precious few baseball cards issued during his playing years. Due to this, Shoeless Joe’s 1940 Play Ball card number 225 is almost as eagerly sought by collectors as the few issued during his playing days. Indeed, one may even suggest that his inclusion in the 1940 Play Ball series helped keep him from being a forgotten footnote of baseball history. What is not in question is the beauty of Play Ball card 225. The image is a classic batting pose captured by Charles M. Conlon, the premier baseball photographer of the first four decades of the 20thcentury. Taken during Jackson’s 1919 season, Conlon took at least two shots of the Chicago slugger taking batting practice before a game at the Polo Grounds with the cavernous ballpark making a wonderful backdrop for Jackson’s famous swing. By studying the stadium background, Jackson’s bat and uniform details, lighting, and home plate dirt patterns, Resolution Photomatching has confirmed that this image was taken at the same photoshoot as the one used for his 1940 Play Ball card.
The 8x10” Type 1 photograph has crisp borders and stunning clarity. When held at different angles there is a light crease in the right upper middle side with a tiny crease underneath it that goes towards the white border. The image itself is not affected in any way by this and is in overall outstanding condition. The reverse has the “Charles M. Conlon Evening Telegram New York” stamping along with “JACKSON Chicago Ame” in pencil script. A sticker from the original 1996 Baseball Magazine archive sale is also affixed. A tremendous image from Shoeless Joe’s most famous White Sox photo shoot taken by the greatest photographer of the Deadball Era. This image comes with a LOP from Resolution Photomatching and has been encapsulated and graded Authentic by PSA.