1894 Kansas City Cowboys with Young Joe McGinnity

19"x15" - looks better than the image shown (quick phone snap). Out of the family of G.W. Darby, who pitched for KC in 94-95. The Iron Man has the fountain pen scribble on his shoulder.

Wow...awesome photo!

Thanks - been doing some research about it and found a picture of this picture - this 2010 SCP auction has G.W. Darby's writing on the back of who all the players were along with their numbers on the front. Funny thing is you can see where Darby's name is on the arm in the small photo (in pencil on the big picture) and also that the fountain pen stain must have happened post ~1932, which is when Darby and his wife moved from Los Angeles to Sacramento.

I don't think I'm permitted to post links but here are the small versions from the SCP auction:

Great stuff. It's always nice to come across photos, etc that have info on the back, especially when it is a 19c minor league team. Looks like there are to 7s. Guessing the guy to the left of Darby is supposed to be #7

Great piece! Interesting that he was known as the Iron Man so early on in his career (presumably in 1895).


Anybody else have some McGinnity cards or pieces to add to the display?

I used to have a second one, but here is the only McGinnity item that still resides in my collection...

Says a lot about the McGinnity's durability if you can get the nickname Iron Man in an era when pitchers almost always finished their games.

Exactly right, Jay. It must have been due to him being a double header king.

Interesting tidbit from Wikipedia...

McGinnity was perhaps best known for starting both ends of a doubleheader in 1903, a feat which he performed three times in a single month (he won all six games). He acquired his nickname, "Iron Man," before his doubleheader pitching. According to Lee Allen in The National League Story (1961), a reporter asked Joe, then a minor-league pitcher, what he did in between seasons. "I'm an iron man," he answered. "I work in a foundry."

Very cool tidbit. Little did he know how prophetic that would be.

Awesome find... complete with names... unbelievable!

Great follow-up on the foundry story of "Iron Man" McGinnity. Three doubleheaders in one month, damn... that nickname was well deserved.

Here's the 1903 Burr McIntosh McGinnity (also posted in Feb. 2012 pickups):

nice, Blair!

It's always fun to see those old photos with HOFers that are not major league teams. There seems to be 2 different photo of the same picture. That is really neat the names were added.

Great stuuf, I would not have been able to pick Joe out with out help. I thought the guy I top row third from left was the important guy when I first looked.

Lee

terjung wrote:nice, Blair!

Thanks! Love that E107 too - great card!!!

Here's my other 2 cards of the Iron Man...

C46:



And a Sovereign-backed T206:

Is the first KC photo provided the same one as the second KC photo with a frame added? If I recall correctly, the item from SCP was not an original Type I photo but something that was created in the early 1900's, possibly closer to 1920.

Hi, the first photo is the original (19" x 15") that came from George Darby's great niece. Darby took a photo of the original and annotated it for Dud Branom (the one that sold in SCP auction).

Thanks for the clarification, that makes sense then.

Awesome collectible. As a KC fan, that is very cool!