Lot # 2349: 1906 New York Giants (vs. Brooklyn Superbas) Program with Extraordinary Pictorial Cover

This 1906 New York Giants program is not only an extreme rarity, it is also one of the most striking New York Giants display pieces of any kind of the early 1900s. This program boasts one of the most attractive covers ever conceived, while also making prominent note of the club's dominant performance in the 1905 World Series. The design, which incorporates both illustration and photography, features an illustration of a team of horses pulling a carriage. However, for the heads of the riders and passengers, actual portrait images of sixteen Giants players are used, including those of manager John McGraw (holding the reins), Christy Mathewson, Roger Bresnahan, Joe McGinnity, and Dummy Taylor. The year "1906" is printed along the left border, while the words "World's Champions" are featured prominently in white lettering upon the black silhouetted images of the horses. (The Giants defeated the A's in five games in the 1905 World Series, and during that era it was common for teams to be referred to as World Champions throughout the following season.) The interior pages feature the Giants' home schedule for 1906 as well as various advertisements, including one on the back page for the Natural Food Company that picture both Mathewson and Bresnahan: "The World's Most Famous Battery." This is only the third example of this remarkable program that we have offered in the past 21 years. This eight-page program was issued for a game against Brooklyn. The preprinted lineups include Bresnahan, Devlin, McGinnity, and Mathewson for New York, and Lumley, Casey, McCarthy, and Lewis for Brooklyn. Partially scored in pencil. The program (10.25 x 6.75 inches) has a heavy fold line in the center and a number of creases on both covers. Technically in Fair condition but far superior in its overall appearance and display value, this program would be a highlight piece in almost any collection.