The 1919 season was an unusual one to say the least for Major League Baseball. That was the year that Shoeless Joe Jackson of the Chicago White Sox hit 14 triples and batted .351 in leading his team to the American League pennant with a regular-season record of 88-52. Once inking their place in the World Series that’s when things got a little screwy. First White Sox owner Charles Comiskey – always the frugal one – decided to cut costs by issuing World Series press pins featuring the exact same design as those issued by the club in 1917. The fact that the pin also featured his likeness on the front probably made his decision all that much easier. His choice to save money however little is a subtle reminder of the economic forces at play that contributed to the legendary Chicago “Black Sox” scandal that ensued. For the record the White Sox lost to the Cincinnati Reds in the best-of-nine series five games to three. Collectors have always considered both the 1917 and 1919 White Sox pins as two of the most attractive pins from the era. The 1919 pin however is the far more desirable example due to its enormous historical significance. That was the year in which eight members of the White Sox including the aforementioned Jackson conspired to "throw" the World Series an act which ultimately led to their banishment from baseball two years later.

The offered 1919 pin is especially noteworthy for the inclusion of its original white silk ribbon that reads "Press World Series 1919." This particular ribbon is exceedingly rare since there are very fewexamples known to exist. It should be noted that even if the slightly torn ribbon were not present this pin could still be conclusively dated to 1919 by the manner in which the manufacturer's name Greenduck is engraved on the reverse: on the 1917 example it is lettered in a straight line whereas on the 1919 pin it is lettered in an arc. The pin displays a few tiny areas of tarnishing on Comiskey's facial image otherwise it remains in Near Mint condition. A pair of raised socks a baseball “COMISKEY PARK” and a complete pin line circle of blue enamel complete the face of the pin. The ribbon (3.25 x .75 inches) which is not permanently attached to the pin (it is held in place below the threaded-post clasp) displays a semicircular tear corresponding to the perimeter area of the pin as well as a small horizontal tear near the top border. This is an extremely important piece of baseball history both as a World Series press pin and as an extremely significant 1919 "Black Sox" item that remains in outstanding condition.