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Lot # 1109: 1925 Gabby Hartnett Rookie Era Photo (PSA Type I)

Starting Bid: $100.00

Bids: 10 (Bid History)

Time Left: Auction closed
Lot / Auction Closed




This lot is closed. Bidding is not allowed.

Item was in Auction "2023 Spring Classic",
which ran from 4/2/2023 7:00 PM to
4/22/2023 10:00 PM



Charles "Gabby" Hartnett was a Hall of Fame catcher who was regarded as the best catcher in the history of the National League before Roy Campanella. Offered is a Type I rookie era 1925 original News Service photo, via World Wide Photos, of Hartnett. Hartnett played Major League baseball from 1922-41, all except his last season with the Chicago Cubs. He hit .297 lifetime, with 236 home runs. While Hartnett was with the Cubs, Chicago won four pennants. Hartnett was given the nickname of "Gabby" as an ironic appellation because he was so shy as a rookie that he barely spoke. Hartnett was involved in a number of famous baseball incidents. He was catching when Babe Ruth hit his "called shot" homer in the 1932 World Series. Hartnett was also behind the plate when Carl Hubbell struck out five future Hall of Famers in a row in the 1934 All-Star Game. Gabby's most famous act as a player was his "Homer in the Gloamin,'" when with two outs and an 0-2 count on him, and the game about to be called because of darkness, he hit a walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth inning near the end of the 1938 season to put the Cubs in first place in the National League and help propel Chicago to the pennant. Hartnett once received a notice from Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis that chastised Hartnett for allowing himself to be photographed with Al Capone at Wrigley Field. Hartnett wrote back to the Commissioner and stated, "OK, but if you don't want me to have a picture taken with Al Capone, you tell him." The Type I Hartnett photo measures approx. 6.1x8". There are a few pencil markings at the top of the photo, most likely made to prepare the photo for possible cropping. A small piece of the bottom right corner is missing, and there are two tiny markings near the lower left corner. The Type I photo has been encapsulated and certified PSA "AUTHENTIC."

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