Summer Premier Auction 2019

When St. Louis Cardinal scouts came to Yogi Berra’s neighborhood, it wasn’t to sign him; they were coming to see Joe Garagiola. The Yankees signed the awkward looking kid almost as an afterthought, but Berra was soon in the Navy and was out there in action on D-Day Normandy. After the war Berra was able to rise to the top of the talent-laden Yankees farm system, and by 1948 he had emerged as the team’s starting catcher. This original 8x10 spring training shot of a young Yogi captures the ballplayer in a classic catcher’s pose – so pleasing that it is the one the artist at Bowman Gum Company chose as a model for his 1950 Bowman card #46. The back of the photograph has the newspaper clip of how it was used in publication, along with a Culver Pictures, Inc. stamping in black and a Culver Service sticker. Handwritten notations read “3”, “column” and “Yogi Berra.” The print has light toning throughout, and some edge wear including a small corner piece missing on the upper left side. An iconic Type I photo of Berra at the very start of his Hall of Fame career used for one of his most sought-after baseball cards. The photo has been encapsulated by PSA/DNA as an Authentic Type I.