There were several collectors in the 1950s and 60s who were getting baseball cards signed, including some like Jeff Morey, Tom Marsilio, Don “Barefoot” Post, and John D. Wagner, who pursued autographs on pre-war cards. The recent sales of the Uncle Jimmy signed Goudey collection show this aspect of the hobby was active as far back as the 1930s and 1940s.
Here’s a fun article from autograph pioneer Jack Smalling published in the April 1966 Sports Trader. Smalling talks about his pursuit of Mantle’s signature on his 1951, 1952, 1954, and 1955 Bowman cards. Read on to see what happened to Jack’s ‘51 Bowman Mantle!
