When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Offered here is an extraordinary vintage Chicago Cubs personal photograph album dating primarily from 1947 through the early 1950s. The handmade wooden album contains approximately 170 period photographs across roughly 30 pages, many personally identified and dated in handwritten captions.
This is not a commercially produced scrapbook or collection of modern reprints. The album appears to have been assembled by someone with remarkable access to Chicago Cubs players and personnel during the postwar era. The photographs show players in unusually candid settings — outside the ballpark, around automobiles, in street clothes, interacting with fans and family members, and on or around the field.
Among the Cubs players and baseball personalities represented are Phil Cavarretta, Stan Hack, Andy Pafko, Bill Nicholson, Bob Sturgeon, Gene Mauch, Hal Jeffcoat, Bob Rush, Cliff Chambers, Dutch McCall, Lennie Merullo, Marv Rickert and others.
Several photographs are personally autographed, including examples we have identified as signed photographs of Bill Nicholson, Stan Hack and others. One particularly interesting photograph shows Stan Hack with Barbara and is signed. Other signed photographs are present throughout the album.
The album itself is also a wonderful piece of folk art/baseball memorabilia. It has a handmade wooden cover with brass hardware and a hand-painted Chicago Cubs bear/cub design, giving the entire collection tremendous display appeal.
Highlights include:
- Approximately 170 vintage photographs
- Approximately 30 album pages
- Primarily 1947–1952 Chicago Cubs
- Numerous identified Cubs players
- Multiple original autographed photographs
- Candid and behind-the-scenes player images
- Handwritten period identifications and dates
- Photographs of players both in uniform and civilian clothing
- Handmade wooden album with painted Cubs-themed cover
- Entire collection has remained together as one historical archive
The photographs and album show age-appropriate wear, toning, fading and other signs of their approximately 75+ years of history. Please examine all photographs carefully for condition and contents.
The album is being offered intact exactly as found. We will not remove individual photographs or autographs from the album.
Because this is a unique, privately assembled collection, there are no direct comparable examples that we are aware of. It represents an opportunity to acquire an original snapshot of Chicago Cubs baseball life during the late 1940s and early 1950s, rather than simply another group of commercially issued baseball photographs.
Autographs have not been professionally authenticated unless specifically stated. All player identifications are based upon the handwritten album captions and our research. Please review the photographs and make your own determination regarding signatures and identification.
Shipped USPS Signature Confirmation with applicable insurance. NOTE: Due to the one-of-a-kind nature of this album there will be no refunds.
