Card Statistics
Luther “Dummy” Taylor is presented in Helmar’s T3 series with the New York Nationals in a striking horizontal composition, his pitching arm extended almost straight toward the viewer’s left as he displays the baseball at the end of his reach. His body leans forward over a bent front leg while the glove hangs low from the opposite hand, creating a long sweeping line across the card. The pale New York uniform, dark cap and stockings, and small interlocking “NY” emblem on the sleeve give the figure a restrained Giants identity. The unusual landscape format allows Taylor’s extended arm and pitching motion considerably more room than a conventional vertical portrait.
The original artwork was painted by Natalia Valiukavich in watercolor. She models Taylor’s cream uniform with warm gray, ochre, and muted blue washes, placing deeper shadows beneath the arm, through the waist, and along the trousers to give the forward-leaning figure weight. The baseball is deliberately prominent at the far end of the outstretched arm, making the pitcher’s grip an important part of the image. Behind him, a brilliant green field and a long row of loosely painted advertising panels create the atmosphere of an early ballpark, while the pale clouded sky keeps the composition open and bright.
Luther Haden Taylor was a right-handed pitcher who spent nearly his entire major-league career with the New York Giants from 1900 through 1908. Deaf from birth, Taylor attended the Kansas School for the Deaf and became one of the most accomplished deaf players in major-league history. He developed into a durable member of John McGraw’s pitching staff, working alongside such celebrated pitchers as Christy Mathewson and Joe McGinnity during the Giants’ rise to prominence in the first decade of the twentieth century.
Taylor’s finest season came in 1904, when he won 21 games as New York captured the National League pennant. He followed with a 16–9 record in 1905 as the Giants again won the pennant and then defeated Philadelphia in the World Series. Taylor finished his major-league career with 116 victories and a 2.75 earned-run average. His career is also notable for the way he communicated with teammates: Giants players learned elements of sign language, making Taylor an unusually important figure in the social history of the early game as well as an accomplished pitcher.
Numbered #172, the Taylor card brings one of the more distinctive personalities of the early Giants to the T3 checklist. The horizontal format, prominently displayed baseball, and long outstretched pitching arm give the card an unusual visual character, while Taylor’s successful career and place in the history of deaf athletes make him a particularly significant early-baseball subject.
Original watercolor artwork by Natalia Valiukavich.
- Description: Horizontal, arm out far
- Team: New York Giants
- Population (# Sold): 14
- First Date Sold: 2023-03-01
- Latest Date Sold: 2026-07-28
- Card Status: Active
- # Sold in past year: 3
- Highest Auction: $ 69.00
- Average Auction Result: $ 37.75
Popularity Rankings
Visit these teammates on the New York Giants 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
- # 5, Fred Merkle
- # 18, Hooks Wiltse
- # 24, Joe McGINNITY (HOF)
- # 26, Roger BRESNAHAN (HOF)
- # 33, Rube Marquard (HOF)
- # 34, Christy MATHEWSON (HOF)
- # 35, John McGRAW (HOF)
- # 36, Fred Tenney
- # 38, Heinie Zimmerman
- # 47, Jim Thorpe
- # 70, Bill TERRY
- # 73, Jake BECKLEY (HOF)
- # 102, Irish Meusel
- # 105, Carl Mays
- # 110, George KELLY (HOF)
- # 142, Ross YOUNGS (HOF)
- # 145, Mel OTT
- # 162, Francis "Lefty" O'Doul
- # 164, Cy Seymour
- # 198, Carl HUBBELL
- # 205, Fred LINDSTROM (HOF)
- # 213, Buck EWING (HOF)
- # 222, Tim KEEFE (HOF)
