Card Statistics
Jim Delahanty is presented in Helmar’s T3 series with Detroit in a straightforward standing portrait, holding the bat upright across his chest and looking directly toward the viewer. The pale trousers, deep blue stockings and cap, and unusual gray-blue buttoned warm-up sweater give the card a distinctly different appearance from the conventional full-uniform portraits elsewhere in the series. His square stance and serious expression lend the image the character of an early posed baseball photograph.
The original artwork was painted by Natalia Valiukavich in watercolor. She gives particular attention to the heavy sweater, building its gray surface from layered blue and charcoal washes while using the darker blue placket, cuffs, collar, and cap to tie the upper figure together. The cream trousers are modeled more lightly, with soft gray-blue shadows defining their volume. The long brown bat forms a strong diagonal through the upper half of the composition, while the open green field and distant buildings are deliberately understated.
James Christopher “Jim” Delahanty was a versatile infielder and a member of the celebrated Delahanty baseball family. The younger brother of Hall of Famer Ed Delahanty, Jim built a substantial major-league career of his own, playing for a number of clubs during the first two decades of the twentieth century. He joined Detroit in 1909 and became an important member of the Tigers during the latter years of the club’s great Ty Cobb–Sam Crawford era.
Delahanty was a particularly effective hitter during his Detroit seasons. He appeared with the Tigers in the 1909 World Series against Pittsburgh and later enjoyed one of the finest seasons of his career in 1911, batting .339. Although overshadowed historically by his more famous brother, Jim was a productive major-league hitter in his own right and finished his career with a batting average comfortably above .280.
Numbered #132, the Delahanty card adds another important member of Detroit’s early American League clubs to the T3 checklist. It also complements Helmar’s separate treatment of Ed Delahanty, allowing the series to represent two members of one of baseball’s most remarkable playing families. The unusual sweater and restrained pose make Jim’s Detroit card especially distinctive within the set.
Original watercolor artwork by Natalia Valiukavich.
- Description: Bat on shoulder, sweater
- Team: Detroit Tigers
- Population (# Sold): 16
- First Date Sold: 2022-04-26
- Latest Date Sold: 2026-02-03
- Card Status: Active
- # Sold in past year: 2
- Highest Auction: $ 61.00
- Average Auction Result: $ 20.45
Popularity Rankings
Visit these teammates on the Detroit Tigers in the T3-Helmar series
Click the Card # link to go to Card Info, Click the Player Name link to go the the Player Biography
- # 10, Claude Rossman
- # 11, George Mullin
- # 28, Sam CRAWFORD (HOF)
- # 32, Hughie JENNINGS (HOF)
- # 39, Ty COBB (HOF)
- # 49, Goose GOSLIN (HOF)
- # 60, Harry HEILMANN (HOF)
- # 75, Tommy Bridges
- # 85, Bill Donovan
- # 88, Hank GREENBERG (HOF)
- # 107, Donie Bush
- # 126, George Moriarty
- # 131, "General" Al Crowder
- # 139, Lynwood "Schoolboy" Rowe
- # 146, Charlie GEHRINGER
- # 161, Hal NEWHOUSER (HOF)
- # 225, Marv Owen
- # 226, Billy Rogell
- # 228, Gee Walker
- # 232, Rudy York
