Albersheim's 2014 Summer Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 7/24/2014
Harold Homer Chase (d 1947), nicknamed "Prince Hal", was a first baseman in Major League Baseball and widely viewed as the best fielder at his position. During his career, he played for the New York Highlanders (1905–1913), Chicago White Sox (1913–1914), Buffalo Blues (1914–1915), Cincinnati Reds (1916–1918), and New York Giants (1919).
No lesser figures than Babe Ruth and Walter Johnson named him the best first baseman ever, and contemporary reports describe his glovework as outstanding. He is sometimes considered the first true star of the franchise that would eventually become the New York Yankees. In 1981, 62 years after his last major league game, baseball historians Lawrence Ritter and Donald Honig included him in their book The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time.
Despite being an excellent hitter and his reputation as a peerless defensive player, Chase's legacy was tainted by a litany of corruption. He allegedly gambled on baseball games, and also engaged in suspicious play in order to throw games in which he played. Chase was given his last chance in 1919, when John McGraw signed him to play for the New York Giants. In New York, Chase found Heinie Zimmerman and Jean Dubuc, among others, were willing to help him fix games. Chase was not given much opportunity, however. National League President John Heydler banned Chase in late 1919. It was later revealed that Chase was in on the fixing of the World Series in the Black Sox scandal, and won $40,000 betting on the series. In 1921 Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis made the ban permanent.
Offered is an original vintage photo (7.5 x 9.25 inches) that’s in great condition with nice clarity. There are some small tears on the lower right side and some minor creasing just some minor creasing common to these vintage photos. Markings on the reverse include some pencil notations including a date of 5/2/1910 and a reference stamp from June 16, 1913. Super Rare - Historical shot!