I don’t think I have seen this on an APBA card before. Rod Caborn sent this submission of Ed Porray’s 1914 card.
It may take a minute or two to find the quirk here. Rod helps us out here:
I am not sure where one would categorize the attached card for Ed Porray, who pitched briefly for the Buffalo Bufeds of the Federal League in 1914. Ed, as his 4 rating suggests, wasn’t exactly headed to the Hall of Fame.
What distinguished Porray was his birthplace. He was born at sea. His birth certificate listed him as “At sea, on the Atlantic Ocean, which is acknowledged on his card (to which I added, in pen, some info that I use in my replays). APBA did not include the latitude and longitude (and I doubt if Ed knew either), so we can only guess in what part of the Atlantic Ed entered the world.
Despite his oceanic birthplace, Ed chose not to be buried at sea, instead interred in 1954 in Lackawaxen, PA (50 miles east of Scranton). Apparently Ed was low-key about his background and not even the most famous resident of Lackawaxen. The city is home to the Zane Grey Museum, who also lived there for a time.
According to one wag on a discussion site, “Porray was the first openly aquatic player in MLB history.” No knowledge if Ed was a “moisture” pitcher.
Thanks for the submission and great write up, Rod!
The Aquaman!