Original glass plate negative picturing the Philadelphia Athletics as they make their way from the clubhouse to the dugout prior to the start of a 1911 World Series game against the New York Giants at the Polo Grounds. Leading the way is the A's famous hunchback mascot/bat boy Louis Van Zelst. Although no date is listed, we have seen another near-identical image, taken by George Grantham Bain, which identifies the year as 1911. The A's players always considered Van Zelst their good luck charm, and with good reason. During his tenure as the team's batboy (1910-1915) the A's captured four pennants and won three World Championships. Unfortunately, Van Zelst died of Bright's Disease at the age of 20 in 1915. The negative (7x5") remains in Excellent condition. Culled from the legendary Brown Brothers Photo Archive.