August 2011 pickup thread

[Scott Garner]

I'm very happy with a new pickup that I just made. I managed to finally find one of the early no-hit pitcher signatures that has eluded me: RHP George Mogridge. On April 24, 1917 Mogridge pitched a no-hitter against the World Champion Red Sox at Boston's Fenway Park while he was a member of the NY Yankees.

The photo that I just acquired is an original Type I sepia toned picture of Mogridge while he was a member of the 1924 World Champion Washington Senators. Mogridge was the winning pitcher in Game 4, defeating the NY Giants 7-4. Dimensions of the photo are 7" x 10". Condition of the photo is truly fantastic considering it's age. It's unkown who actually took this photo. BTW, if anyone on this board recognizes this photo or can speculate on who might have taken it, I would really appreciate the assist.

The photo is signed in vintage fountain pen. Mogridge's autograph on any medium is extremely scarce. For having a death date of 1962 it's unknown why his signature is so difficult to find. It's speculated that he literally was "off the grid" and his whereabouts were unknown by the early autograph collectors from the 1950's and 1960's, or he seemingly never answered mail requests.

In any case, I'm thrilled to add this Mogridge signed photo to my collection. It's certainly been a long, difficult search. 20 more early no-hitter pitcher signatures to go....