Rare 1914 World Tour "Homecoming" Souvenir Album Issued to Red Faber

Sold For:

$630

Year:

1914

Auction:

2020 Spring

Lot #:

1793

Category:

Post-1900 Baseball Memorabilia

1914 World Tour "Homecoming" souvenir album presented to Hall of Fame pitcher Urban "Red" Faber, who took part in the tour as a member of the White Sox. These lavish 64-page "Homecoming" albums, which were issued only to members of the tour and special dignitaries, are exceedingly rare. This is just the second example we have ever offered and the ONLY one we have seen issued to a member of the tour. The brown suede cover features Faber's name and the title "The Home Coming" in gilt-stamped letters. An illustration of a baseball appears below the title. The interior pages included numerous photos of the participants during the tour, as well as commentary, poems, and songs that commemorate the trip, including a foreword by noted sportswriter and author Ring Lardner. The 1914 World Tour was one of the most important early international tours of the twentieth century. In the fall of 1913 Charles Comiskey, owner of the White Sox, and John McGraw, manager of the Giants, organized the tour to help promote the game of baseball around the globe. Featuring players from each club, as well as a few extra players from other teams, the tour began on December 3, 1913, in Yokohama, Japan, and concluded on February 28, 1914, in Queenstown, Ireland. The tourists returned home on March 6th, arriving in New York where they were given a royal reception. As noted on the interior, this album was not to be offered for sale and was a special keepsake produced just for the players and other members of the tour, making it one of the rarest of all items from the trip. The album (11 x 8 inches) displays moderate wear to the suede covers, including light, scattered staining. A number of the pages display light foxing and corner wear, with a few also affected by edge tears. In Very Good condition overall. Reserve $500. Estimate (open).