Historical Hockey and Sports Memorabilia Auction November 2024
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/3/2024
One of the most popular collectibles of the Original Six era, Bee Hive hockey player photos produced by the St. Lawrence Starch Co. were a staple for Canadian youth/hockey fans, with this lot being offered here totaling out to 322 different photos that were released to consumers between 1945 and 1964 and encompassing most of the “Original Six” era, considered to be the best period of time in the history of the National Hockey League.
Featuring excellent black-and-white images that have been affixed to cream/beige coloured backings, the Group 2 photos are arguably the most popular of the three groups of Bee Hive photos produced by the St Lawrence Starch Company Ltd, with all of the game’s biggest stars of the era who helped usher in the new era of hockey, found throughout the checklist. The better examples included within the group are Boston Bruins' Creighton, Klukay, Johnny Peirson, Terry Sawchuk and Don Simmons error (Norm Defelice) with the Hawks represented by Conn, Brimsek, McFadden and Rollins (vertical). Detroit includes images of Bucyk, Enio, Hall, Hillman, Howe (dark sweater), Poile and Sawchuk (spelled correctly) while the Canadiens players includes Chamberlain, Hanna, King and Litzenberger. The last two "Original Six" teams are represented by Rangers' players Bentley, Bower, Guidolin, LaBossiere, Poile and Sinclair and Leafs' players Bionda, Costello, Hassard, Hurst, Nykoluk, Reid and Solinger.
Condition wise, all of the photos are in what Bee Hive collectors would consider in nice collectible condition and are only exhibiting minor/light wear to the corners of the backings. Of note, if there are any defects to the photos and/or backings that we spotted, they are listed below. Additionally, due to the unique nature of the collection, it is possible we missed some replacement backings and/or reglued photos with the complete list of included photos listed below.
The complete list of included Bee Hive hockey photos in this group are;
Boston Bruins players (52); Armstrong, Bodnar, Boivin, Bucyk, Burns, Caffery, Chevrefils, Costello, Crawford (#6), Creighton (both variations - white background has light folds to the left side of the photo), Dumart, Ferguson, Flaman (Fern variation), Gardener, Gariepy, Gelineau, Godfrey (A on jersey), Hebenton, Henry, Hillman, Horeck, Horvath, Klukay, Kryznowski, Kurtenback, Labine, Laycoe, Lumley, Mackell, Maloney (has "Phil" handwritten on bottom of the photo), Martin, McIntyre, McKenney, Mohns, O'Ree, Peirson (both variations - the "Johnny" example has a one-inch fold line), Pennington (script away from skate), Quackenbush, Regan, Reibel, Ronty, Sandford, Sawchuk (has three small light stains in the upper left area of the photo), Don Simmons, Don Simmons error (Norm Defelice - lower left backing corner has a small stain and a small fold), Smith, Stasiuk, Sullivan, Jerry Toppazzini and Zelio Toppazzini.
Chicago Black Hawks players (52 including a duplicate); Babando, Bedard, Bentley, Bodnar (2 photos), Brimsek, Brown, Ciesla, Jim Conacher, Pete Conacher, Roy Conacher, Conn, Couture, Dewsbury, Dickens, Fogolin, Gadsby, Gee, Goldham, Guidolin, Glenn Hall, Red Hamill (glued to a blue replacement backing), Henry (glued to a red replacement backing), Hucul, Hull (#16), Jankowski, Kennedy, Lindsay, Litzenberger, Lundy, McCaig (glued to a red replacement backing), McFadden, Mikita, Mortson, Mosienko, Murphy, Nattress (photo reglued), Nesterenko, Olmstead, Peters (some staining on upper portion of backing), Pilote, Prystai, Raglan, Rollins (both variations), Sloan, St-Laurent, Gaye Stewart, Jack Stewart, Vasko, Wharram and Wilson.
Detroit Red Wings players (47); Abel, Arbour, Babando, Black, Bonin, Buyck, Couture, Dea, Delvecchio (Bill version), Dineen, Enio, Fogolin (reglued on blue backing), Gauthier, Gee, Glover, Godfrey, Goegan, Goldham, Hall (light stains to backing), Hillman, Horeck, Howe, Kelly, Kennedy, Leswick, Lindsay, Martin, McFadden, McNab, D. Morrison, R. Morrison, Pavelich (defects to backing), Peters, Poile (light stains to backing), Pronovost, Prystai, Reibel, Reise, Sawchuk (both variations), Skov, Stasiuk (both home jersey variations), Ullman, Woit, Wilson and Zeidel.
Montreal Canadiens players (49); Backstrom, Balon, Beliveau, Bonin, Carveth, Chamberlain, Currie, Cushenan, Davis, Fillion, Gamble, Geoffrion, Goyette, Hanna, Harvey, Hicke, Johnson, King (light stains to backing), Lach, Langlois, Laycoe, Leclair, Litzenberger, MacPherson, Maniago (handwritten 8 on back in pencil), Marshall, Masnick, Mazur, MCormack, McDonald, MacKay, McNeil, Meger, Moore, Mosdell, Olmstead, Plamondon, Plante, Pronovost, Provost, Reay, H. Richard, M. Richard, Rousseau (stain to backing), St. Laurent, Talbot, G. Tremblay (dark background), JC Tremblay (dark background) and Turner.
New York Rangers players (58); Albright, Bathgate (home jersey), Bentley, Bower, Buller, Cahan (home jersey). Chrystal, Cullen, Cushenan, Dea, Eddolls, Egan, Evans (both variations), Fisher, Fontinato, Gadsby, Goyette, Guidolin, Hadfield, Hebenton, Henry, Hergesheimer, Hilderbrand, Howell, Juckes, Kaleta, Kraftcheck, Kullman, Kyle, LaBossiere, Laprade, Leswick (defects to backing), Lewicki, Lund, McDonagh, McKenney, McLeod, Mickoski, Moe, Murphy, O'Connor, Poile, Popein, Prentice (dark jersey), Raleigh, Rayner, Reise, Ronty, Schinkel, Shack, Shero, Sinclair, Slowinski, Stanley, Stanowski, Sullivan and Worsley.
Toronto Maple Leafs players (65); Aldcorn, Armstrong (dark sweater no C), Bailey, Balfour, Barilko, Baun, Bentley, Bionda, Boivin, Bolton, Bower, Brewer, Broda, Cahan, Chadwick, Conacher, Costello (possibly reglued), Creighton, Barry Cullen, Brian Cullen, Dawes (photo reglued), Duff, Edmundson, Ehman, Gardner, Hampson, Hannigan, Harris, Hassard, Horton, Hurst, James, Juzda, Kelly (no helmet), Kennedy, Klukay, Kraftcheck, Lewicki, Lumley, Mackell, MacNeil, Mahovlich, Mathers, McDonald, Meeker, Migay, Morrison, Nesterenko, Nykoluk, Olmstead, Pulford, Reaume, Regan, Reid, Rollins, Simmons, Sloan, Smith, Solinger, Stanley (Alan version), Stewart, Thompson, Timgren, Watson and Wilson.
Completing this collection are 1953 and 1954 Bee Hive checklists (4), a Bee Hive collar and a series 1 Bee Hive of Milt Schmidt with the Bruins.
By clicking this button, you will IMMEDIATELY bid the amount selected.
By clicking this button, you will submit this amount as your MAXIMUM (absentee) bid. The auction software will place bids on your behalf up to this amount only as it is bid against competitively by other bidder(s).