Lot # 1116: 1950-1956 Callahan Hall of Fame Ed Walsh Original Artwork by Mario DeMarco

Original artwork of Hall of Fame pitcher Ed Walsh by Mario DeMarco. Signed by the artist in the upper right. This particular piece was used for Walsh's card in the classic 1950-1956 Callahan Hall of Fame card set, which was the official card set of the Hall of Fame. The unique Bristol-on-paper artwork was created utilizing DeMarco's painstakingly slow trademark "dot method" of drawing, with each artwork consisting of thousands of small dots. The artwork includes a cut signature, just as it appears on his issued card, affixed directly to the background. Many Callahan artworks have signatures in the backgrounds, and it is interesting to note that these are actual cut signatures that the artist has traced over for boldness and glued to the artworks. When working on the set, DeMarco wrote to all living Hall of Famers for this purpose, but did not seek signature examples of already deceased players, which explains why some old-timers do not have signatures as part of the design of their Callahan cards, while others do. Nearly all of the artworks from the Callahan Hall of Fame card set were sold directly by Mario DeMarco in the 1970s. An example of Walsh's card from the set has been affixed to the piece in the lower-left corner. The artwork (11.5 x 15.5 inches) displays spots of paper loss and adhesive residue along the bottom. The same condition issues are visible along the reverse, plus multiple spots of clear tape affixed to the perimeter. Technically in Poor condition overall but with far superior visual appeal. The size/weight of this item requires that there will be an additional shipping charge for this lot.