Awesome autograph collection

[brob28]

Hi Gents,
I have a pretty amazing (at least to me) story and autograph find that I wanted to share with the board. This may be more appropriate to post on the autograph side, but I thought I’d share it here first since so many of us who enjoy cards also enjoy other aspects of baseball history and collecting and I really think this is something special. Leon, feel free to move this wherever you feel appropriate.

I have a friend who has told me of his Aunt and her autograph collection for a few years. He has tried to set up a meeting for me with her for quite a while and I recently had the pleasure of meeting her and seeing her collection. I was expecting a few autographs, but was shocked by what I saw.

She is in her early 80’s and the collection was put together by her late husband (who was 16 years her senior) as a boy in the mid-thirties. Apparently, he lived by the train station that the teams traveled through when playing in New York and would wait with his notebooks to get signatures when the players disembarked the train.
There are close to (maybe more) a thousand autographs 99% baseball players. I’d say 30% unfortunately are in pencil, but still very nice, the rest are ink. They are mostly in notebooks, no baseballs or 3x5 cards. She didn’t really know what she had as no one has ever told her the history of some of these players and she only knows the ultra-famous Yankee players. She told me someone once offered her $1,200 for the entire collection, thankfully she declined. I think you’ll all agree she has something special.

The collection is a who’s who of mid-thirties baseball, I’m still putting it all together but I’m sure it contains almost all the players featured in the Goudey sets. Below is a list (not complete) of some of the key autographs she has. She has 2 and 3 of many of these (pictures to follow)

Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx, Tony Lazzeri, Dizzy Dean, Connie Mack, Lefty Gomez, Pepper Martin, Mel Ott, Rogers Hornsby, Bill Dickey, Luke Appling, Rabbit Maranville, Joe DiMaggio, Vince DiMaggio, Lefty Grove, Al Simmons, Heinie Manush, Charlie Gehringer, Mickey Cochrane, Schoolboy Rowe, Rip Collins, Carl Hubbell, Gabby Hartnett, Frank Crosetti, Al Lopez, Leo Durocher, Earl Combs, Hank Greenberg, Ted Lyons, Moe Berg, Joe & Luke Sewell Jimmie Dykes, and last but not least Walter Johnson!

It’s going to take a while to get through and identify all of the players.

Now for some autographs, hope you enjoy.

[egbeachley]

I’ll give her $100 if I can add my autograph somewhere in the middle.

[George]

That is the first time I have ever seen Jimmie Foxx sign as "Jimmy" Foxx. That is a great collection, and it is even greater that they have kept it in the family all these years.

[icollectDCsports]

I've always thought that Charlie Gehringer had a great signature.

[Hxcmilkshake]

Originally Posted by icollectDCsports

I've always thought that Charlie Gehringer had a great signature.

Yeah it looks like something that should be on the Declaration of Independence .

Amazing autos. Very cool.

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[T206Collector]

Love all the Groves and, of course, the WaJo. Amazing collection of early sigs!

[brob28]

Thank guys, I've learned that Foxx also signed Jim sometimes & agree Gehringer has a beautiful sig. Many of these guys had great signatures -

Rip Collins
Pepper Martin
One of the Dimaggio's
Al Simmons - Moe Berg
Connie Mac

The last one shows Frank Gabler crossed out. She told me that apparently, the kid asked him about something that happened in the prior nights game while he was signing, and Gabler didn't appreciate the question

[chalupacollects]

Two DiMaggio's! That's Joe above Bump Hadley and Vince on the sheet below...

Cool stuff!

[h2oya311]

Originally Posted by brob28

The last one shows Frank Gabler crossed out. She told me that apparently, the kid asked him about something that happened in the prior nights game while he was signing, and Gabler didn't appreciate the question

Now that is funny! Love that the kid pasted Gabler's picture there so he'd remember who NOT to ask a signature from again...might get the same response these days if you asked for Gabe Kapler's signature!

[h2oya311]

Originally Posted by George

That is the first time I have ever seen Jimmie Foxx sign as "Jimmy" Foxx. That is a great collection, and it is even greater that they have kept it in the family all these years.

I noticed that too...interesting that the other two sheets have him with the "Jimmie" Foxx signature.

[Paul S]

Originally Posted by h2oya311

I noticed that too...interesting that the other two sheets have him with the "Jimmie" Foxx signature.

There was thread about this a ways back. If you use Google Images"Jimmie Foxx Autograph" or "Jimmy Foxx Autograph, either one, I could only find "Jimmy" on maybe two images (well, at least it appeared like that) out of a few hundred. Everything else is "Jimmie" - personal checks, baseballs, index cards, etc...

[Sophiedog]

All look great. Gehrig is bold s can be!

[T206Collector]

FWIW - Tommy Leach also couldn't decide on "Y" or "IE" at the end of his name. (Gotta add some cards to this thread!)






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Also, the Connie Mack is epic. Such a great sig!

[Rookiemonster]

Very cool! That is weird that they had two different Jimmie fox autos

[rjackson44]

Terrific leon

[Huysmans]

Originally Posted by Hxcmilkshake

Yeah it looks like something that should be on the Declaration of Independence

True.... but it's hard to beat the sheer elegance and pleasing aesthetics of a Speaker signature.

[T206Collector]

Originally Posted by Huysmans

True.... but it's hard to beat the sheer elegance and pleasing aesthetics of a Speaker signature.

+1

[rhettyeakley]

Obviously not the star power of the others mentioned for their nice signatures but if you have never looked up Gene Lillard’s signature, you should. It wouldn’t look out of place on one of our founding documents!

[T206Collector]

Originally Posted by rhettyeakley

Obviously not the star power of the others mentioned for their nice signatures but if you have never looked up Gene Lillard’s signature, you should. It wouldn’t look out of place on one of our founding documents!

You're absolutely right about that (not mine):

[brob28]

Wow, no doubt that is a nice autograph! Here is one that I think stands out from the group. Have been told is Tex Carlton from a member on the autograph side. Also a nice swing sequence and Mel Ott autograph.