Does anyone know if Cy Seymour autograph exists?

[Blunder19]

I have not yet seen an example of one. Just curious if any examples exist.

Thanks.

[Lucas00]

Hard to believe one doesn't exist when examples of players like Waddell, Delahanty, Chapman, even Joss have at least one. (not even worth mentioning 19th century guys). My guess is he was completely illiterate. Dying in 1919 (years and years after he retired) is too long a time to not have signed at least a few autos. Also had mental issues I've read, similar in some ways to Rube. Likely hindering autograph chances even more.

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

I can assure you he was literate. A handful of multi-page handwritten letters exist in the collections of the Hall of Fame, but I don't recall ever seeing even a single authentic autograph that made it into the hands of collectors. Like so many people of his time, he had beautiful penmanship. The signatures on the letters matched up favorably with a signed document once in the hands of the government before being destroyed in a fire. Thankfully, some very forward-thinking person thought it wise to convert these documents to microfiche prior to this fire, so while the originals are long gone, the copies live on in perpetuity. Seymour would have been made to sign the document himself, so if he had been illiterate, he would have signed with an X mark, but he signed his full first, middle and last names on that item.

Many years ago, I do remember seeing a tiny cut that was purported to be that of Seymour, but at the time, we could not authenticate it due to lack of exemplars. I was naturally suspicious of it to begin with. It wasn't until years later when doing research in Cooperstown that I chanced upon those letters. From what I can recall of the cut, it bore zero resemblance to the genuine article.

[Lucas00]

Originally Posted by BillyCoxDodgers3B

I can assure you he was literate. A handful of multi-page handwritten letters exist in the collections of the Hall of Fame, but I don't recall ever seeing even a single authentic autograph that made it into the hands of collectors. Like so many people of his time, he had beautiful penmanship. The signatures on the letters matched up favorably with a signed document once in the hands of the government before being destroyed in a fire. Thankfully, some very forward-thinking person thought it wise to convert these documents to microfiche prior to this fire, so while the originals are long gone, the copies live on in perpetuity. Seymour would have been made to sign the document himself, so if he had been illiterate, he would have signed with an X mark, but he signed his full first, middle and last names on that item.

Many years ago, I do remember seeing a tiny cut that was purported to be that of Seymour, but at the time, we could not authenticate it due to lack of exemplars. I was naturally suspicious of it to begin with. It wasn't until years later when doing research in Cooperstown that I chanced upon those letters. From what I can recall of the cut, it bore zero resemblance to the genuine article.

That was just the most likely scenario of why there are no examples. If there are letters, obviously I'm wrong.

Still weird how he lived to 1919 and there are no images available of an autograph.

[timn1]

J. Bentley Seymour -

that name sounds like someone who could read and write (as opposed to, say, Rube Waddell)-

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

Originally Posted by Lucas00

Still weird how he lived to 1919 and there are no images available of an autograph.

You have to remember that people didn't start collecting baseball autographs in larger numbers until a decade after he passed. That is definitely a huge contributing factor. Hence why many from his era and before him are almost impossible to find.