1946 NEGRO LEAGUE EAST ALL-STARS TEAM PHOTO W/HOFERS: GIBSON, LEONARD, IRVIN, MACKEY, DAY & DOBY.
Item Description
Presented here is the only known surviving example depicting the Negro League's East squad from the 1946 East-West All-Star Showcase held at Comiskey Park in Chicago, won by the East club with a final score of 6-3. An astounding total of six National Baseball Hall of Fame players are pictured here: Josh Gibson (back row, second from left), Buck Leonard (back row, fourth from left), Monte Irvin (back row, third from left), Biz Mackey (back row, fifth from left), Leon Day (front row, third from right) & Larry Doby (back row, fourth from right). In addition, many other stars of the day appear on this magnificent image: Felton Snow, Pat Scantlebury, Lennie Pearson, Fernando Pedroso, Silvio Garcia, Vic Harris, Henry Kimbro, Jonas Gaines, Murray Watkins, Bill Ricks, Gene Benson, Sam Bankhead and Howard Easterling. Outstanding image w/players shown in their respective team uniforms.
The pinnacle of any Negro League season was the East-West All-Star Game. It was an All-Star game and a World Series all wrapped into one spectacle. Starting in 1933, the game was played annually at Chicago's Comiskey Park, with additional appearances in other parks in selected years. It brought thousands of fans to the Grand Hotel in Chicago and became the single most important black sporting event in America. The horrendous economic conditions of the 1930s and disagreement among league officials on a World Series format from 1928 to 1941 precluded any annual championship series, making the East-West All-Star Game black baseball's grandest attraction. Eventually All-Star attendance grew to over 50,000 fans often outdrawing its Major League counterpart during the early to mid-1940's. Many historians, players and fans have argued that the overall success of the Chicago All-Star games was one of the most important factors in the integration of Major League Baseball.
Original glossy photo is 7.5x10". Player names have been inked on bottom margin below the team image, including some over a .5x3.5" applied sticker strip. Moderate handling wear mostly in the form of light crease lines on margins, much only seen in reflected light. Image remains sharp and distinct. Fine.
Six Hall Of Famers on one team photo and the only example known make this a must have for any serious baseball collection. The Black Ball Collection.
