[ullmandds]

bill...i have to disagree regarding your comment on lack of publicity. I have friends...aquaintences...family members sharing this story with me...as they know I live and breath this stuff...it has permeated the public consciousness...like the black swamp find years ago...how much more publicity can one expect?

Originally Posted by the 'stache

Oh yeah, and not to get lost in the shuffle, the collection itself, and the story behind it, are amazing.

Imagine if a letter showed up with the following: "hey Bertha, I am missing your home made hamburger stew. Even though the Yankees stay at some of the finest hotels across America, they don't know how to cook like you do. As such, I've had to survive on hot dogs and soda pop at the park. If this keeps up, I'm going to lose my girlish figure. How will I chase the dames then?" --the Babe

It's just a shame that this isn't getting more coverage. That the names A.G. Spalding and Harry Wright aren't well known across America (outside of hobbyists and baseball enthusiasts) is a real shame. These were the pioneers of the National Pastime. But then again, the average American can't name the three branches of our federal government, and if asked what kind of government we have, eight out of ten Americans would say "a democracy".

And while signatures of Misters Spalding and Wright may not be truly rare, having both of their signatures on one piece of paper is pretty darn cool. I'd certainly love to have something like that in my safe deposit box!