1889 Princeton Tigers Football Championship Team Photograph - Beckett

Sold For:

$1,440

Year:

1889

Auction:

2021 Fall

Lot #:

2180

Category:

Football Cards or Memorabilia

Original photo capturing sixteen members of the national champion Princeton Tigers football team, including team captain Edgar Allan Poe (a family member of the famed poet) holding a ball that is lettered "Champions 1889." Encapsulated and certified as an original Type I photograph by Beckett Grading Services. This an extraordinary nineteenth-century football image. The Princeton team pictured fashioned a perfect 10-0 record in 1889, clinching its undefeated season with a victory over the rival Yale Bulldogs in the final game of the season. Research indicates that also pictured on this cabinet are All-Americans Pop George (top row, middle), Roscoe Channing (beneath George), Snake Ames (third row, second from end), and Hector Cowan (top row, second from right). This is only the second team photo of this famous club that we have offered in the past eighteen years, making it both a rare and significant piece dating from the earliest days of Princeton's storied football history. The photo (9 x 6-7/8 inches) is in Excellent condition with minor toning along the edges of the reverse. This is an exceptional Princeton football team photo commemorating the club's undefeated national championship season of 1889. Reserve $200.