Before he became a three time AL MVP, a 13-time All Star, and won an unfathomable nine World Series championships, Joe DiMaggio found his way onto the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League. During the 1932 season, his brother Vince was playing on the Seals and convinced the manager to let Joe fill in at shortstop. He made his professional debut on October 1, 1932, playing the last three games of that campaign. By 1934, DiMaggio was a rising star in the PCL, catching the attention of scouts and garnering praise for his exceptional hitting and fielding abilities. This photograph captures the exact moment when the New York Yankees recognized DiMaggio's immense talent and made the decision to acquire him, a move that would forever change the course of both DiMaggio's career and the Yankees' legacy.

Offered is a true one of one, the single most important photograph of Joe DiMaggio ever to hit the auction block. While the photo is a TYPE III specimen authenticated, PSA has confirmed to SCP that there no known TYPE I examples of this photograph. It is the ONLY photograph authenticated by PSA to date in relation to the historical 1934 acquisition of DiMaggio by the New York Yankees. This single transaction (that came at end of the Babe Ruth-era) would cement the New York Yankees as sports most dominant team of the 20th Century. The photo marks the very “genesis” of the DiMaggio-led Yankees Dynasty, one that was even more successful than the 1st Yankees Dynasty led by Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. DiMaggio would anchor the second wave of Murderers Row, winning an astonishing 9 World Series Championship rings in his 13-year career. All vintage period photos of DiMaggio as a San Francisco Seals are extremely rare and highly desirable. There is none more historically significant than the offered example.