Conrado "Connie" Marrero autographs

[kitsula]

Connie Marrero died three days before his 103rd birthday in 2014. He was a close friend for the last 13 years of his life and he signed many items for me. I am selling a number of these items to raise funds for both the Marrero family and for Luis Zayas, one of two members of the fabled Havana Sugar Kings still living in Cuba. There are five different items and multiple copies of most of them. Four of the five are photographs on high-quality, glossy photograph sheets measuring 8 1/2 by 11 inches. The fifth item is a baseball card produced only for Marrero in 2005. The Marrero family gave me all 25 of these cards, which were the last items he signed at 101 years of age. By that time he was blind and needed someone to place his hand on the card.

The photos include a copy of a 1948-49 booklet issued by Trinidad y Hoyo cigarettes. The page was signed in 2004 when I took Monte Irvin to Cuba to be reunited with his old teammate.

Three of the photos were created from an advertisement for Gillette Razor blades with Marrero's endorsement (one complete ad and 2 details) and the fifth and final is a photo of Marrero from his years with the Alemendares Scorpions of the Cuban Winter League.

I watched Marrero sign all the photos, but not the cards. Given that the cards were given to me by his grandson, Rogelio, shortly after his death, I am absolutely confident in their authenticity.

Marrero and Adolfo Luque are the two great pitcher of pre-Revolutionary baseball. He won some 370 games in Amateur and professional leagues in a career that spanned from 1938 to 1958 in leagues in Cuba, the US, Mexico and Nicaragua. He made his major league debut 4 days before his 39th birthday and is, along with Satchel Paige, Jamie Moyer and Tim Wakefield, the only major leaguer to be selected to an all-star team for the first time at the age of 40 or more. He is the second oldest major leaquer ever, trailing only Red Hoff, who lived to the age of 107.

I am selling these because the situation in Cuba is dire due to the Corona-19 virus and US sanctions.

I am selling the photos at $75 each, postage paid and will sell a group of 5 for $300. The supply is limited, so please confirm that I still have photos before remitting payment.

Thanks to all who will support this effort look after members of the baseball family.

Marrero was a good signer during his major league career (1950-54). He returned to Cuba 1n 1955 and was one of the few Cuban major leaquers who remained in Cuba after the Revolution. He signed few items after that as he was cut off from the US due to the blockade. I took several groups to Cuba over the years and he would sign these items for members of my group.