T206
John McGraw
T206 Sweet Caporal 150/30
Finger in Air
PSA Grade: VG-EX 4
John Joseph McGraw reigned supreme over the National League for 30 years beginning in 1902. In that span, his Giants won 10 pennants, three World Series, and placed first or second in the league 21 times. As a player, McGraw hit over .320 nine straight seasons, and his career .466 on-base percentage trails on Babe Ruth and Ted Williams.
The cantankerous McGraw became a celebrity of his day. He owned a pool hall with Arnold Rothstein, shared ownership of a racetrack and casino in Cuba with Charles Stoneham, who bought the Giants in 1919. In 1933, although retired, McGraw was chosen as National League manager for the first All-Star Game. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1937.
Jean Dubuc
1910 Piedmont Cigarettes
SGC Grade: EX 5
Jean “Chauncey” Dubuc is best known for his indirect involvement in the “Black Sox” scandal of 1919. A former teammate claimed Dubuc received a telegram from Sleepy Bill Burns, the alleged middleman between the gamblers and the White Sox players, who was also a former teammate of Dubuc’s. The telegram read “Bet on the Cincinnati team today.” Some claim Dubuc was one of the players banned from baseball for life, but others point out that he went to Canada for the 1921 season, thus escaping the commissioner’s notice. As an MLB player, Dubuc won 17 games twice for the Tigers, and finished with 85 wins. He played for several more years in the minors, playing his last game in 1926 at the age of 37. He went on to coach baseball and hockey for Brown University, and also scouted for the Detroit Tigers, signing Birdie Tebbetts and Hank Greenberg among others.
Jack Knight
T206 Sovereign Cigarettes
With Bat
SGC Grade: VG-EX 4
Jack “Schoolboy” Knight was signed out of the University of Pennsylvania as a 19-year-old shortstop, but he wound up playing all four infield positions during his career. His best year was 1910, when he batted .312 with 129 hits, good for fifth in the league. After the 1913 season he would travel around the minors for nearly 15 more years. Knight finally retired after the 1928 season, at age 42, with a .293 minor league batting average.
Dick Egan
T206 Piedmont Cigarettes
SGC Grade: EX 5
Dick Egan spent six seasons in the minors, before joining the Reds in 1908 when he was 24 years old. The prime of his career came between 1909 and 1912, when he was the Reds’ starting second baseman. These were the only seasons of his 9-year career in which he saw more than 350 at bats. During those seasons, he swiped 141 of his 167 career stolen bases, finishing in the Top Ten in the league in 3 of those years. Egan was also adept at moving runs along with the sacrifice bunt. He finished third in the league in sacrifices in 1910 and fourth in 1912. After his tour iwht the Braves, he went back to the minors for one more season. Retiring in 1918 at age 34, he hit a .253 batting average in his minor league career.
Mike Donlin
T206 Sweet Caporal
Seated (OC)
PSA Grade: NM-MT 8
“Turkey Mike” Donlin could have been in the Hall of Fame if not for his extravagant lifestyle. A notorious drinker and playboy, his off-field antics drastically altered a career that could have been great. Donlin batted over .300 in ten of his 12 seasons. His best year was 1905, when he was Team Captain and batted a lofty .356 to help the Giants win the World Series. He also led the league with his 124 runs scored that year. Donlin was a power hitter, finishing in the Top Ten in home runs for five seasons. Nicknamed “Turkey” for his red neck and strutting style of walking, Donlin would cut his own career short.
He ended up in prison for public drunkenness in 1902, causing the Orioles to release him. He would manage the Memphis Chickasaws in the Southern Association in 1917, and later scouted for the Boston Braves and New York Giants.