The fantastic Billiken photocards are the Holy Grail of Cuban baseball card collecting, and when you hold one in your hand you can certainly see why – the amazing images, the stunning quality, and the classic era all add up to pure magic. This group of three Americans is a nice assortment and graphically demonstrates the wide variety of shapes and sizes that are typical of this set due to the fact that they were likely all hand cut.
Headlining the group is the fine Negro League pitcher Mervyn “Red” Ryan who is featured as a member of the legendary Leopardos of Santa Clara, generally considered the greatest team in the history of Cuban baseball. Ryan also toiled for some of the greatest Negro League teams in the states, primarily the Hilldale dynasty of the mid-1920’s and also the Baltimore Black Sox juggernaut of 1929. The little right-hander was a hard thrower and a reliable starter. Although technically only in poor condition, this card displays a very nice image and has no creases. There is corner and edge wear as well as three of those dastardly bugholes. Also included in this lot is Habana catcher John Bischoff who would hit .262 in a brief career with the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox. This card grades G-VG with some creasing and is centered to the right, but it also has a wonderful image. As far as I know, this is his only baseball card. The final member of the trio is Marianao catcher Ernie Krueger who was in the middle of an eight year Major League career with five different teams (lifetime .263 average). This card is also in poor condition with two bugholes and the top left corner torn off.
Although the condition of these cards is typically low grade, these are incredibly rare and historically significant baseball cards that rarely appear for sale publicly.