A Porcelain Occupational Shaving Mug Belonging to Baseball Player Bill Steele

Early 20th Century

depicting crossed bats and a ball, over the name Steele.
marked T&V / Limoges on underside.
Height 3 1/2 inches.

Lot includes a real photo postcard of William "Big Bill" Steele (1885-1949) in uniform for the Altoona Rams, the minor league team with which he made his debut as a pitcher, circa 1909-1910. After winning 25 games for the Rams in their 1910 season and perfecting his right-handed spitball, he was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals the following year. Chronic hip arthritis ultimately derailed his career, and Steele was sold in 1913 to the Brooklyn Robins, the team with which he ended his Major League career at the end of the 1914 season.

Property from the Collection of James Carpenter, Montague, New Jersey