Red Sox old-timer’s memorabilia up for sale

BIDDEFORD, MAINE Items belonging to one of the Boston Red Sox’s early members — when the team was known as the Boston Americans — are coming up for sale.

Third baseman Harry Lord played for the Americans and then the Red Sox, becoming one of the first captains in 1910, before he joined the Chicago White Sox.

His items going up for auction on Wednesday include a six-foot-long panoramic photo of the Red Sox and Washington Nationals playing on Patriots’ Day at the Huntington Avenue Grounds in Boston in 1910, two years before Fenway Park came to be.

There’s also a photo of Lord and hall of famers like Ty Cobb, Nap Lajoie and Tris Speaker at Shibe Park, later known as Connie Mack Stadium, in Philadelphia.

Other items include baseball cards featuring the Maine native, a plaque for the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame, and other baseball memorabilia, said Troy Thibodeau from Saco River Auctions.

In his day, Lord was known for speed, among other things.

“He was considered one of the fastest men in baseball at the time,” Thibodeau said. Lord was once clocked running from home plate to first base in about 31/2 seconds, speedy even by modern standards.

Lord’s playing career came to an end after he was released by the White Sox and switched to the Federal League, which later was disbanded. Lord reportedly was blacklisted by the American and National leagues.

After spending some time coaching, Lord returned to Maine. He lived in South Portland, owned a grocery store and was elected to the Maine House as a Republican.

The items from Lord’s estate were passed on in his family and went up for sale when his grandson died last year, Thibodeau said.

Lord died in 1948.