Candy Cummings (b. October 18, 1848 - d. May 16, 1924) Baseball's legendary inventor of the curveball, Candy Cummings allegedly discovered the pitch while tossing clam shells as a youngster. Despite standing 5'9" and never weighing more than 120 pounds, from 1872 to 1877, he won 146 games before overwork forced him to retire. Cummings pitched for the Excelsior Club of Brooklyn before becoming a professional in the National Association.
		Inducted in 1939
1870 The World Newspaper Woodcut Candy Cummings BGS Authentic

Click Image to Zoom	Click Image to Zoom

Comments: First card - 1950 Callahan! I purchased a raw example in 2003, then a PSA 8 and eventually a PSA 9 via eBay in October, 2005. It was a tribute card, a placeholder until I found an item contemporary to Cummings career. But, almost everything out there for Cummings is post career. In October, 2005 I was browsing the Net54 site and Phil Garry was selling a woodcut of Cummings cut from an 1870 The World Newspaper. This example is in incredible shape for a piece that's over 140 years old and it has been authenticated by Beckett Grading Services. I asked the seller for the rest of the newspaper but he had thrown it away. Regardless, I purchased the piece. I would love to get my hands on an original, intact newspaper with the same woodcut or just learn more about the exact issue date/page/etc. Hoping…

Card Details Below:
Year(s):	1870
ACC Set Designation:
Set Name:	The World Newspaper
Country:	United States
Description:	This Candy Cummings woodcut originated from an 1870 issue of The World Newspaper, which was a general New York publication of the day similar to present day NY Daily News or NY Post. The woodcut actually accompanied an article written about the Brooklyn Stars victory the previous day along with text detailing Cummings' exploits as the winning pitcher. As for woodcuts, they were primarily used by publications during the 1850's - 1880's as printing photographs at that time was extremely costly. The woodcut process involved an artist taking a photograph and engraving the image into a block of wood and then inking the raised edges of the wooden image to print the portrait in large quantities. These woodcuts were more often done for baseball teams than individual players and many are catalogued in Lew Lipset's 19th Century Baseball Card Encyclopedia.