T206-Helmar #303 Ames, Leon "RED", 17 yrs 2.63 ERA, 184 Wins New York Giants

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About the Player

Red Ames - Leon "Red" Ames started pitching professionally in 1901 with Zanesville, Ohio, then went to Ilion of the New York State League for the 1902-03 seasons. In 1903 with Ilion, Ames went 12-12 with an impressive 221 strikeouts in 229 innings, earning a late-season call-up with the New York Giants. Red made the most of his first opportunity by tossing five hitless innings against the St. Louis Cardinals on September 14, 1903. The umpire called the game due to darkness, giving Ames an auspicious win in his major-league debut. When he pitched a complete-game five-hitter in his next start, the 21-year-old rookie put himself in good position to win a job with the Giants for the 1904 season. "Red" was a spot-starter for the 1904 pennant-winning Giants but enjoyed his most successful season in 1905, posting a nine-game winning streak en route to a 22-8 record with a 2.74 ERA and 198 strikeouts in 262.2 innings. Often plagued by wildness, the right-hander often ranked among the league leaders in walks per nine innings. In 1905 he set a dubious modern record by uncorking 30 wild pitches. In the World Series that year, Red pitched only one inning in relief as McGraw went with Christy Mathewson and Joe McGinnity, who completely shut down the Philadelphia Athletics. Red Ames' curveball was one of the Deadball Era's most erratic pitches, but despite his frequent bouts of wildness the right-hander managed to hang on for 17 seasons in the National League, compiling a 183-167 record with a 2.63 ERA. Ames had the knack for losing tough, close games, becoming known as the unluckiest pitcher in baseball.

About the Series

The Helmar T206 series is one of our boldest and most important projects. Each card is the same size as the original American Tobacco 1909-1911 T206 cards, though the Helmar T206s are thicker and sturdier. Each Helmar T206 is made from an original, exclusive painting. Cuban stars, Babe Ruth with the Red Sox, Negro Leaguers, and Ty Cobb shaking hands with Honus Wagner are some of the most popular Helmar T206s.

We also spend a huge amount of time creating evocative, humorous, interesting backs. In creating these cards, we have a deep appreciation for the unknown artists who brought the original T206s to life.

Oddities: Card #26, Fred Clarke, has two versions. One has the painting cropped at about the knees. The second has a closer cropping of the head and chest. The fuller figure is much more rare. A similar situation exists for card #501, Tom Jones. The closer cropping is rarer and is found only with the Colgan's Chips logo in the bottom right corner.

A handful of test cards were made with proposed back designs that were never used. They are hand marked as such. The fronts featured either Walter Johnson or Rabbit Maranville.

Related Cards in the Series

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T206-Helmar, New York Giants
Card #	Thumbnail Pic	Player Name	Position	Top Auction Price
1		Doyle, Larry	Portrait	$ 26.26
18		MATHEWSON, Christy	Hands over head	$ 545.00
23		Merkle, Fred	Tossing	$ 39.55
50		Thorpe, Jim	Looking over shoulder	$ 355.00
58		MATHEWSON, Christy	Sitting	$ 124.50
72		MARQUARD, Rube	Portrait	$ 47.00
75		Browne, George	Looking left	$ 130.00
80		Dahlen, Bill	Batting	$ 59.50
81		Donlin, Mike	Portrait	$ 59.58
82		Donlin, Mike	Standing	$ 100.00
83		Gilbert, Billy	Standing	$ 25.00
84		Gilbert, Billy	Batting follow through	$ 43.50
86		McGann, Dan	Bat on shoulder	$ 30.29
87		Mertes, Sam	Fielding	$ 45.00
91		Raymond, Arthur "Bugs"	Throwing	$ 37.00
97		Bowerman, Frank	Cradling bat	$ 31.33
99		BRESNAHAN, Roger	Squatting	$ 59.00
102		Browne, George	Portrait	$ 22.00
103		Devlin, Art	Open arms	$ 34.33
104		Devlin, Art	Red logo on sleeve	$ 61.00
105		Ames, Red	Standing left	$ 73.50
108

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