Due to the policy of segregation that plagued Major League Baseball until 1947, many of baseball’s best players never made an appearance on an MLB roster. One such player was Charles Wilber Rogan – better-known by his nickname of “Bullet Joe” – who has been called one of the best pitchers to ever step foot on a mound. Known for his ability to hit as well as pitch, Rogan was one of the winningest pitchers in Negro Leagues history in addition to ranking within the top five as far as batting average.
Rogan began his baseball career in a semi-pro league in Kansas while still a teenager, playing for a team called Fred Palace’s Colts. He later dropped out of high school and joined the Army in 1911, where he served in the Philippines with the 24th Infantry, an all-black regiment. He was honorably discharged in 1914, but reenlisted with the 25th Infantry, and was recruited to play for their famous baseball team, the Wreckers. His teammates in the Army included a number of other future Negro League stars, including Dobie Moore, Heavy Johnson, and Lemuel Hawkins.
In 1920, he joined the Kansas City Monarchs, and quickly became the biggest draw in the league; by 1922, he was batting a cool .390. He led the Monarchs to their first league pennant in 1923, pitching to 16 wins with 151 strikeouts. In 1924 he racked up an 18-6 record as a pitcher, batting .395 in the process, and helping Kansas City take down the Hilldale Giants to win the first Black World Series.
Rogan later took over managing duties for the Monarchs, where his military experience lent itself to the job – for better or worse. He would eventually be elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, in 1998, 31 years after his passing.
Hake’s Auctions currently has two unique photographs of interest to baseball historians and collectors, dating to that inaugural 1924 Negro League World Series between the Monarchs and Giants. One, a panoramic of both teams involved, is perhaps the single most important photograph of the pre-integration era. This photo was taken by J.E. Miller on October 11, 1924, prior to Game 5 of the series. Among the total of 41 individuals pictured are eight future Baseball Hall of Fame selectees, more than appear on any other surviving original Negro League Baseball photograph. Adding to the appeal of this photograph is the fact that very few examples are known to have survived. It is widely believed that these panoramic photos were only distributed by the photography studio to the participants of the 1924 NL World Series. Extensive research indicates that only a few other examples have ever been sold at auction and none have been offered for sale over the past several years. Past auction prices realized for these have included $29,375 in 2011 and $26,290 in 2009.
Hake’s also has a second photo, which pictures just the Hilldale ball club, capturing the full team that included the likes of future Hall-of-Famers such as Biz Mackey, Judy Johnson, and Louis Santop. Hilldale, owned and operated by future Baseball Hall of Fame candidate, Edward Bolden, was a charter member of Rube Foster’s newly formed Negro National League in 1920. After three seasons of competing against other Eastern Division ball clubs in Foster's league, Bolden successfully recruited six Eastern black ball clubs and launched his own Eastern Colored League in 1923. Bolden’s Hilldale club immediately dominated the new league, winning the Championship for 1923 as well as the league title again in 1924. After lengthy negotiations between Foster’s and Bolden’s leagues, an agreement was reached prior to the end of 1924 which would allow the two regular season league champions to compete against each other in the first Colored World Series.
All auctions at Hake’s for Auction #226 will be closing on consecutive days, on March 12-13, 2019.
