BillyCoxDodgers3B |
08-09-2024 06:23 AM |
Quote:
Originally Posted by DougG423
(Post 2452987)
Thank you, wish I had provenance for them. My research puts Grover Cleveland in Long Beach in the late 1940s. Very pleased with my first autographs.
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He was extremely itinerant for so much of his later life, doing whatever he could to scrape by, touring with this carnival or that. It's so sad.
Post-career, he was a very gracious through the mail signer. All evidence proves that, if a collector was able to find a way of reaching Alex via correspondence, he would gladly sign anything and usually write a thank you note in return. His rarity goes hand in hand with being constantly on the move.
You would think, though, that there would be a lot more in-person type of material out there. Things such as balls and photo premiums issued by whatever flea circus he was working for at the time. Even a lot more album pages from kids who brought their autograph books to these events, or ticket stubs. My only explanatory theory is that perhaps he wasn't fond of signing in person. Supporting this is the fact that Alex is rarely seen on team-signed material from his MLB days.
Throughout the history of the game/hobby, there have been lots of players who are wonderful signers in person but never bother answering their mail. Much rarer is the polar opposite, where some just hate dealing with the fans in public, yet are receptive and responsive to the stacks of mail that come their way. Cecil Cooper is a more modern example. If you saw him when he played, he'd always try to get out of signing by saying, "Send it to me". Much to his credit, he honored that directive and continues to do so today (albeit he's started chagring a very reasonable $5 per card!).
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