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T3-Helmar, #102
Irish Meusel

Picture, Helmar Brewing, T3-Helmar Card # 102, Irish Meusel, Sitting on luggage, New York GiantsPicture, Helmar Brewing, T3-Helmar Card # 102, Irish Meusel, Sitting on luggage, New York Giants
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Customer Submitted Images


Picture, Helmar Brewing, T3-Helmar Card # 102, Irish Meusel, Sitting on luggage, New York Giants

Treasure box of T-3!
T. Hallman

Picture, Helmar Brewing, T3-Helmar Card # 102, Irish Meusel, Sitting on luggage, New York Giants

Collected one-by-one
Gary Stone

Picture, Helmar Brewing, T3-Helmar Card # 102, Irish Meusel, Sitting on luggage, New York Giants

Getting close to the full set
Gary Stone

Card Statistics

A quieter moment sets Emil “Irish” Meusel’s T3 portrait apart from many of the action cards surrounding it. Meusel sits on a simple wooden block in his New York Giants uniform, leaning forward with his forearms on his knees and a bat resting diagonally toward the foreground. His lowered gaze and relaxed posture suggest a pause between innings or during practice rather than a formal pose. The large “GIANTS” lettering across the chest, dark blue stockings, and distinctive cap establish the team immediately, while the open field and distant buildings keep the setting spacious and uncluttered.

The original artwork was painted by Natalia Valiukavich in watercolor. She handles the pale uniform with broad cream, gray, lavender, and blue washes, using deeper shadows beneath the arms and across the trousers to give weight to the seated figure. The long bat becomes an important compositional device, carrying the eye from Meusel’s hand almost to the lower edge of the picture. Particularly effective is the contrast between the carefully modeled player and the simplified background, where the outfield fence, scattered buildings, and pale clouded sky are reduced to soft atmospheric shapes.

Emil Frederick “Irish” Meusel was one of the National League’s most productive outfielders during the early 1920s. After beginning his career with Philadelphia, he was traded to the New York Giants during the 1921 season and immediately became part of one of baseball’s great championship runs. Meusel helped the Giants win four consecutive National League pennants from 1921 through 1924 and World Series championships in 1921 and 1922. A strong right-handed hitter with considerable run-producing ability, he finished his major-league career with a .310 batting average. His younger brother, Bob Meusel, became a star with the New York Yankees, giving the brothers the unusual distinction of playing prominent roles for rival New York pennant winners during the same era.

Numbered #102, the Meusel card adds another important member of John McGraw’s championship Giants to the T3 checklist. Alongside Christy Mathewson, Rube Marquard, Fred Tenney, Heinie Groh, and other New York National League subjects, it helps trace the franchise from the Deadball Era into the powerful clubs of the early 1920s. Meusel’s connection to his brother Bob also gives the card an appealing cross-town dimension for collectors interested in the parallel histories of the Giants and Yankees.

Produced in Helmar’s distinctive handcrafted tradition, the card combines original watercolor artwork, a key member of four consecutive pennant-winning Giants clubs, and an unusually informal seated portrait that gives this T3 subject a character of its own.

Original watercolor artwork by Natalia Valiukavich.

 

  • Description: Sitting on luggage
  • Team: New York Giants
  • Population (# Sold): 11
  • First Date Sold: 2021-05-11
  • Latest Date Sold: 2024-08-18
  • Card Status: Active
  • # Sold in past year: N/A
  • Highest Auction: $ 44.00
  • Average Auction Result: $ 23.45

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