1891 Conly Studio Boston Red Stockings American Association Champions Cabinets PSA-Graded Collection (10)

Sold For:

$4,560

Year:

1891

Auction:

2022 Spring

Lot #:

132

Category:

Pre-1900 Baseball Cards (1830-1899)

Each of these ten baseball cabinet photos was produced by the Conly Photographic Studios of Boston, Massachusetts, and each pictures a member of the 1891 Boston Red Stockings, champions of the American Association in that league's final season of operation. Conly was one of the most prominent professional photographers specializing in baseball player images in the Boston area in the 1890s. This series is all the more interesting in that it is essentially a set unto itself, featuring players from the same team, and this might be the closest to a set ever issued of this significant Major League team. The early 1890s was a time of great turmoil in the business of professional baseball. The Players' League, the National League, and the American Association all vied for the attention and support of the ticket-buying public in 1890. The Players' League survived only the one season, but the financially weakened American Association, a major league since 1883, also fell victim to the heated competition. The 1891 season was the swan song of the legendary second major league, and the Boston Red Stockings were its premier team and final champions.Each cabinet card (4.25 x 6.5 inches) is nearly identical in design and features a sepia photo of the player dressed in formal attire. The photographer's name and city ("Conly" and "Boston") are printed along the front base of the mount, and the reverse features advertising for the Conly studio (two different back variations are featured in this group). Each card has been professionally graded and encapsulated by PSA. The collection consists of the following: Charlie Buffinton (VG-EX 4 [MK]), Bill Daley (EX-MT+ 6.5), Duke Farrell (VG 3 [MK]), George Haddock (EX 5), John Irvin (EX 5 [MK]), Bill Joyce (EX 5 [MK]), Morgan Murphy (VG-EX 4), Cinders O'Brien (EX-MT 6), Paul Radford (GOOD 2), and Cub Stricker (EX 5). This is a fascinating and very attractive cabinet-card collection featuring members of the 1891 Boston Red Stockings, the last champions of the American Association. Total: 10 cabinet cards. Reserve $1,000.