Lou Gehrig in Cooperstown for 1939 Baseball Centennial?

[TCMA]

I've got a Gehrig autograph on a 1939 Baseball Centennial first day cover. Been searching around online to try and determine whether or not Lou Gehrig was actually in Cooperstown on June 12, 1939 for the festivities. So far I'm coming up empty.



According to Wikipedia, on June 13 Gehrig flew from Chicago -where the Yankees were playing at the time- to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester where he was eventually diagnosed with ALS six days later.



Given that info it seems unlikely Gehrig was in Cooperstown on June 12 but I'd love to confirm.

[parker1b2]

Not sure of him being there, if you are questioning the authenticity, post a photo, plenty of people on here can tell you if it's real or not.

[bobw]

Looking through newspapers, it seems Lou was playing in Kansas City in an exhibition game against the Blues.

[TCMA]

Originally Posted by bobw

Looking through newspapers, it seems Lou was playing in Kansas City in an exhibition game against the Blues.

Great find . Much appreciated, that last paragraph is exactly the sort of confirmation I was looking for.

[TCMA]

First post edited to include image of the item. To my eye it does look possible that the autograph came first, then the envelope was postmarked in Cooperstown on Jun 12. Hard to say for sure.

[perezfan]

Are we sure that the autograph itself is legit?

Looks a bit dicey.

[TCMA]

More info on that game in KC here:

https://www.mlb.com/news/kansas-city...rig/c-33224982

[TCMA]

Originally Posted by perezfan

Are we sure that the autograph itself is legit?

Looks a bit dicey.

All I know is it's been sitting in an album with 50 other Baseball Centennial first day covers, some with autographs (Ruth, Cobb, Connie Mack, Tris Speaker) for the past 40 years.

[MVSNYC]

Auto does look dicey, BUT I'm sure PSA/JSA has experience analyzing Gehrig sigs when he has sick, as I know they were shaky as his health was deteriorating. Worth submitting it.

(Wow, this was my 2131st post...the game that Ripken broke the record).

[perezfan]

Agree. But even aside from the shakiness, it has a few features that are often indicative of pretty common forgeries. If it were mine, I’d submit it.

[ATP]

Hi, just a couple of quick comments. I am very certain that is not actually signed by Gehrig, not sure exactly if it's a forgery or someone just wrote it goofing around, if it is it's not a very good attempt at one. In regards to whether or not he was actually in Cooperstown on that date, he wouldn't have had to be in order to have signed it. People get first day covers signed all the time at later dates/locations, that's just the date it was stamped and sold as a collectible. The question comes up a lot about First Day Covers being signed the day they were stamped, it's just the date they put on it when it was issued.

[TCMA]

Originally Posted by ATP

Hi, just a couple of quick comments. I am very certain that is not actually signed by Gehrig, not sure exactly if it's a forgery or someone just wrote it goofing around, if it is it's not a very good attempt at one. In regards to whether or not he was actually in Cooperstown on that date, he wouldn't have had to be in order to have signed it. People get first day covers signed all the time at later dates/locations, that's just the date it was stamped and sold as a collectible. The question comes up a lot about First Day Covers being signed the day they were stamped, it's just the date they put on it when it was issued.

Oh I’m quite familiar with FDOI covers just trying to rule things out/in if I can. So far, we’ve discovered Gehrig absolutely could not have signed this in Cooperstown because he wasn’t present. That was my intention with this topic.

Guess I’ll be submitting this at the next show because I’d love to know or sure one way or the other. What makes you so sure it’s not authentic?


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[Duluth Eskimo]

That is a forgery.

[daves_resale_shop]

Looks like a coaches corner forgery

[Hankphenom]

I had the scorecard for Gehrig's last appearance in a game in Kansas City, and thought I had come across something really special. It went for around $400 in a Leland's auction about five years ago, a major disappointment.

[w7imel]

Are you guys kidding me???? There is no way in hell this is a legit signed Gehrig item!!! Dont wast your money..This looks worse than a Coaches Corner special. These are one of the most forged items out there...You have to do a better job of educating yourself about these things or your going to throw alot of money away on garbage. Sorry to be so blunt and I dont mean to offend but I hate seeing hard working people throw their money away on crap...Do your own due diligence!!!

[TCMA]

Originally Posted by w7imel

Are you guys kidding me???? There is no way in hell this is a legit signed Gehrig item!!! Dont wast your money..This looks worse than a Coaches Corner special.

Settle down. Nobody is selling anything here. We’re having a conversation.


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[w7imel]

Originally Posted by TCMA

Settle down. Nobody is selling anything here. We’re having a conversation.


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Im not talking about anyone selling...I am talking about spending who kows what on a garbage autograph the sending to PSA and spending another several hundred only to get rejected. Please run this by the autograph experts we have here.. I trust most of these guys will have your best intrest in heart.

[Snapolit1]

Very common post.

Someone posts a card or a signature asking for assistance. “hey is this real or not. Looking for help. Thanks if you can lend a hand”.

He is promptly told by 6 people it is not real.

He then immediately gets his back up and either tells people they don’t know what they are talking about of that he’s not so sure they are right.

Reminds me of a guy I used to work with. He’d hand me something he did and ask for my honest feedback. If my comments were anything other than it was the greatest thing I’ve ever read all of a sudden he didn’t want my comments any more. He just wanted me to confirm what he wanted to believe and nothing else.

[TCMA]

Originally Posted by w7imel

Im not talking about anyone selling...I am talking about spending who kows what on a garbage autograph the sending to PSA and spending another several hundred only to get rejected. Please run this by the autograph experts we have here.. I trust most of these guys will have your best intrest in heart.

Ah, gotcha. Well consensus seems to be it’s not legit. I’m confident the others it was with are legit, so that’s a bummer.


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[w7imel]

I just get pissed off when someone gets taken by someone selling a bad autoghraph. I was duped into buying a fake Ruth at an early age so I have always been bitter toward those selling fakes since.,
I just try to help other not make the same mistakes I did!

[TCMA]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

Very common post.

Someone posts a card or a signature asking for assistance. “hey is this real or not. Looking for help. Thanks if you can lend a hand”.

He is promptly told by 6 people it is not real.

He then immediately gets his back up and either tells people they don’t know what they are talking about of that he’s not so sure they are right.

Reminds me of a guy I used to work with. He’d hand me something he did and ask for my honest feedback. If my comments were anything other than it was the greatest thing I’ve ever read all of a sudden he didn’t want my comments any more. He just wanted me to confirm what he wanted to believe and nothing else.

My intention never was to get an opinion on whether or not the autograph is real.



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[TCMA]

Originally Posted by w7imel

I just get pissed off when someone gets taken by someone selling a bad autoghraph. I was duped into buying a fake Ruth at an early age so I have always been bitter toward those selling fakes since.,

I just try to help other not make the same mistakes I did!

Understandable.


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[David Atkatz]

As stated by others, it is a very poor forgery.
And what makes you so confident the others are legit?

[mr2686]

I was thinking the same thing as David.

[TCMA]

Originally Posted by mr2686

I was thinking the same thing as David.

I’m having serious doubts now, lol. Only one way to find out I suppose.



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[parker1b2]

Originally Posted by TCMA

I’m having serious doubts now, lol. Only one way to find out I suppose.



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Post some photos of the others you are questioning.

[frankbmd]

Not a complete loss. I believe the postage stamp is authentic.

[w7imel]

Originally Posted by frankbmd

Not a complete loss. I believe the postage stamp is authentic.

Thats funny stuff...Mean but funny!!!

[earlywynnfan]

Originally Posted by TCMA

I’m having serious doubts now, lol. Only one way to find out I suppose.



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I'm reading "only one way to find out" as you are going to submit it to PSA or JSA or something so you will "know." If this is true, why would you waste your money?? The guys here are better than the faceless entities there.