1950s Wrestling Photos Featuring Marvin Mercer

1950. Unbound. Near Fine. A collection of eight duplicate paper halftone plates and two photos, with nearly 40 copies of each, of three wrestlers of the late 1940s and early 1950s. The plates are cardboard with a bit of wear to the extremities but none affecting the half tone image, near fine. Three of the plates are stapled at the top, two come with a folded paper flyer touting the wrestler depicted, Marvin "Atomic" Mercer, though only one of the two flyers is attached. The black and white photos, featuring now-forgotten wrestlers Joe "Poland's Pride of the Mat" Swinick and Rory "The Hoosier Hurricane" Wayne, come with 38 and 43 copies of each image. They are somewhat curled at the extremities, near fine. Mercer was a star of the East Coast wrestling circuit in the late 1940s and early 1950s. *Ripley's Believe It or Not* dubbed him "The Atomic Wonder" due to his "unequalled [sic] speed, unsurpassed scientific ability [?] and unparalleled aerial strategy," according to the flyer attached to the plate. The aerial strategy referred to was Mercer's trademark move, "The Atomic Thrust," a kick performed with both feet which would end with him "landing on his feet and not his buttocks as in the oridinary [sic] drop-kick." Despite such skill and acclaim, Mercer is best remembered for a mixed contests with Cuban boxer Omelio Agramonteheld in 1952 who he defeated in five rounds. Which is a lot more than can be said about fellow wrestlers Swinick and Wayne, of which nothing could be found. (Inventory #: 340290)