This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/5/2010
This extremely rare and impressive panoramic photo captures the 1927 National League Champion Pittsburgh Pirates in a traditional team pose at Forbes Field. Panoramic display team photographs are rarely this large, measuring a majestic 29 x 20 inches. It was almost certainly produced only for the players and distributed to them by the team as a special keepsake. Thirty-one uniformed team members are pictured including manager Donie Bush, Pie Traynor, Paul Waner ("Big Poison"), Lloyd Waner ("Little Poison"), Kiki Cuyler, and Joe Cronin. Also included in the photo are team owner Barney Dreyfuss and two other front-office executives. The photographer's credit stamp, "R. P. Hay," appears in the lower right corner. Although the photo is undated the year can be accurately determined by the players pictured: 1927 was the only season in which Lloyd Waner and Joe Cronin played together with the Pirates. The 1927 Pittsburgh Pirates are best remembered today as the "sacrificial lamb" served up to the legendary New York Yankees in the World Series. Although Pittsburgh's impressive team average of .305 was on par with that of the Yankees (.307), they lagged far behind in the power department. Pittsburgh only managed fifty-four home runs as a team, which was six less than Babe Ruth's total for the season. Not surprisingly, Pittsburgh was swept in four games in the World Series, thereby doing their part to solidify the 1927 Yankees' reputation as the greatest team of all time. This is an extremely rare team photo and the first example we have ever seen. Any and all team panoramas from the 1920s are particularly rare and highly desirable, and this display team photo is exceptional not just in size but also in clarity and composition. One can literally count the blades of grass, and even the tiny lettering on the Beech-Nut tobacco wrapper, lying on the ground in front of the players, is clearly legible without the aid of magnification. The photo (29 x 20 inches) displays a one-inch horizontal tear on the left border as well as a few minor edge tears and light surface wrinkles, which are all of no consequence but are mentioned strictly for the sake of accuracy. This is the first example of this magnificent and extremely substantial rarity that we have ever seen. Framed and matted to 33 1/2 x 26 inches.