It Couldn't Possibly Be... Could It? PLEASE LOOK

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Posted By: Greg Theberge

Sorry for the repetition post on this, but I didn't want it to get lost in the other post I made...

The mail arrived today and there's my little Hanley Ale/ Joe Dimaggio booklet all wrapped up.

I open up the package.

I peek inside.

Little crease, too bad, but not that bad.

Then I open the booklet....

Holy Crap.....can these be real? They certainly look like old ink.

Looks like Joe and at least three of his '37 Yankee buddies (Joe Glenn, Bump Hadley, and Myril Hoag) made it to an Italo-American function here in Rhode Island.


Guys, are these sigs real??? They certainly don't look like they were added later.

Greg

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

Wow. I can't speak to if they're real or not, but I did some googling and found examples of Hoag, Glenn and Hadley and they look like they could be, but there are differences in all of them. The DiMaggio just looks weird to me.

I wonder why the seller wouldn't have mentioned the signatures in the auction? It reminds me of the time I bought a small lot of baseball memorabilia on ebay a few years back for a snapshot of Connie Mack and Golden Jubilee program that I paid $5 + shipping for...when I got it I was surprised to find a Certificate signed by Kennesaw M. Landis.

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Posted By: David Atkatz

They're good, Greg.
That's DiMaggio's early signature--he signed "J DiMaggio" in those days.

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

Perfect, and very nice! How did the seller miss this?

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Posted By: barrysloate

Yikes- what a score! You don't see something like that every day on ebay. Congrats!

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Posted By: Mike H

The Dimaggio is very consistent with early sigs. Greg that is GOLDEN! I absolutely love that Dimaggio image. Very rare piece and veeeery rare early autograph. It is amazing to me that the seller didn't see and or mention the sigs.

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

Heh. Don't ask him what he paid for it Barry you might have a heart attack.

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Posted By: barrysloate

I would guess he paid about 1/20th of what it is worth.

edited to add I just went back to the ebay link and I change my estimate to about 1/40th. How can a seller with a feedback of over 23000 not know how to sell something on ebay? He didn't open it to look inside even once?

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Posted By: DD

I've purchased publication lots from a few different auction houses, including Mastro. Several times, I have come across autographs in some of the items.

BTW, great pickup. If the underbidder is a board member or lurker, this thread is really going to hurt. Clearly, there is no chance the seller is a board member.

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Posted By: Greg Theberge

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the feedback, it's most appreciated.

I was pretty shocked when I opened the booklet and saw the signatures. I haven't for the life of me figured out why the signatures weren't in the description, especially since the seller is a big sports dealer. I definitely got lucky on it.

Crazy thing is that I bought it for the damn ugly bulldog on the back cover. It's going in the beer collection. We actually own the original oil painting of that dog that was done in 1913 which the brewery used over and over and over again throughout the thirties and forties.

What I like about the piece is that it's from Rhode Island.

I guess if I have to have a Yankee item in the house, it's at least a pretty good one.

I'm looking forward to the 1948 Sox/Braves schedule I just picked up on ebay.

Thanks again,
Greg

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Posted By: Brock G.

Greg, bet your glad it wasn't Dom after all.

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Posted By: Greg Theberge

Actually, Brock, if it was Dom with his period signature and three other Sox, I would trade it in a heartbeat (as long as it had the Hanley ad). While I totally respect Joe and the Yankees, my heart, not wallet, lies with the Sox. I think the piece is great that he signed it, but more from a historical perspective than a monetary one.

Cheers!
Greg

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Posted By: Greg Theberge

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh.....much better. The world makes sense again.

The other package that arrived today...

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

Greg,

If it would make you sleep better, I would be happy to alleivate your suffering by trading you a rookie-era Dom DiMaggio signature for your item.

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Posted By: Mark

Congrats Greg.... just a remarkable score! If I were to display this, I would open up the booklet so both the front and back covers are visible at once. That deco-inspired DiMaggio graphic is much too nice to hide away.

I would then put it in one of those "float frames" (which allow you to view both the front and back). That way, you could see both the front and back covers, as well as the beautiful sigs on the other side. Just my 2 cents...

Thanks for sharing this, and for making us all envious!

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Posted By: Greg Theberge

Mark, I like your idea on how to display it. My wife just bought some free floating frames for some of my daughters photography, they might have them small enough for this piece as well.

greg