This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/30/2023
This extraordinary souvenir of the 1909 World Champion Pittsburgh Pirates served a dual purpose: keeping its owner cool during the heat of the pennant race and serving as a visual reference of the team on the field. This piece “fans” out to include 15 panels on which 19 Pittsburgh players are depicted. First and foremost among them is Honus Wagner, the greatest ballplayer of the era, along with fellow future Hall of Famers Fred Clarke and Vic Willis. The 1909 Pirates won 110 games (still a franchise record) to grab the National League pennant, and then went on to beat the Detroit Tigers in a hard fought World Series that went the full seven games. To commemorate this Championship team, this impressive souvenir folding fan was produced. The fan can be dated to circa 1909 as two of the players featured, first baseman Bill Abstein and pitcher Sam Frock, were only teammates together during the 1909 season. Of note is the spelling of “Pittsburg” without the “H” – the now familiar spelling was made permanent in July of 1911, before which the city’s two spellings were used interchangeably since its founding in 1758. The piece shows some toning from age, with five of the fifteen panels showing more tone than the rest. The wooden handle displays some surface scuffs and dings from use and the “Pittsburg Pirates” stamping has slightly faded with time. This unique souvenir has been professionally mounted and framed in a fanned out fashion to maximize the visibility of the player portraits. This is one of the most stunning early ballpark souvenirs in existence made all the more important with it being from a World Series Championship ballclub.