Posted By:
Jodi Birkholm
Actually, that story does sound familiar, and would have to agree that something was lost or misconstrued due to the passage of time. Chances are the children were simply crowding around Kelly just to be near him or to ask questions. Yes, some of this material would certainly have survived had it actually existed. A Kelly autograph would likely fetch nearly $100,000 in this day and age, perhaps more if on a particularly choice item such as a contract or letter with great content.
To illustrate my point, even the players featured in The Glory of Their Times made very little mention of signing autographs in their prime. While it's obvious that the latter-day players interviewed (Waner, Kamm, Jones, etc.) signed numerous items during their respective careers, the older fellows such as Leach and Jones don't mention anything (I haven't double-checked, but I'm sure this is correct).