Attractive 1947 Almendares promotional team photo likely issued as some sort of premium. Several familiar faces are present on the piece, including Connie Marerro, Max Lanier, and Adolfo Luque. Most important, however, is the inclusion of former Negro League star, baseball ambassador, and thankfully now Hall of Famer Buck O'Neill. This team was part of the most famous pennant race in Cuban League history. Heading into the final month of the season, the Almendares were six games behind the first place Habana Lions. With three games remaining between the two teams, Habana still had a 1 1/2 game lead, requiring the Almendares to win all three. After winning the first two games Almendares manager Adolfo Luque elected to use pitcher Max Lanier on just one day's rest (paying him $500 for the privilege) and Lanier pitched a complete game to win the pennant with a 9-2 victory. This beautiful photographic premium measures 10" x 5" and like so many Cuban baseball items does exhibit some wear mostly in the form of dirt and discoloration. Signifiant surface wear, staining and abrasions are evident, with some paper loss mostly contained within the white borders. The photo itself, however, is reasonably clear and clean with excellent contrast certainly finer than other photographic premiums we have encountered that utilize the same photo. The players are all identified on the reverse, the issuer Seoana Fernandez y Cia credited in the bottom right. An outstanding piece.