From the 1913/14 World Tour in which the Chicago White Sox and New York Giants played Baseball games in several different countries and continents, we offer this very scarce and desirable postcard of team members, executives and family members dressed in their finest attire and photographed at the Vatican. Standard postcard size, the offered example not mailed, a handwritten notation on the back with a date of Mar. 18, 1914. Almost undoubtedly penned by someone in the photo, a player, an executive, a spouse? Who wrote it would only be a guess at this point.
The image has no less than twenty of the players on the tour and perhaps more. Highlights are Mike Donlin, Buck Weaver, Red Faber, Sam Crawford, Hooks Wiltse, Hans Lobert, Jimmy McAleer, Bill Klem, John McGraw, Jimmy Callahan, Tris Speaker and Germany Schaefer, among others, including Charles Comiskey and his son. Much discussion as taken place to the exact ID's of each on Net54 and elsewhere. We offer one picture that has one of the more recent determinations of the players and a few other celebrities. It has been fairly well concluded that Jim Thorpe is not in the picture, some still believe he is, as he is one of the few that are on the tour not accounted for in the photo. A full expose of the posting can be seen at this link http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=226951
This is one of two examples that we can confirm to exist. As it was taken and printed in Europe, the likelihood of mass production or purchases for mailing would be slim. The offered example has been holdered by Beckett as VG, obviously with little to no wear, the penned notation on the back the reason for the lower grade. A magnificent and scarce image documenting an important part of Baseball history, fully worthy of the finest postcard or historical collection.