Hall of Fame Yearbooks.

[scmavl]

Wow, very cool! If you decide to sell that signed '70-73 book, please let me know.

[Tigerden]

Mark Thanks for sharing. I always wanted to know more about these HOF publications. Years ago, I owned a 1957 red cover copy signed by Wahoo Sam Crawford, the year he was inducted. In fact, I purchased it from someone who lived in Wahoo Nebraska. I often wondered if the copy was owned at one time by a close friend or family member who may have attended the ceremony. Wish I did not part with it. Adam

[Lordstan]

Jarrod,
Thanks.

My collection of these began innocently enough with me getting the 1966 edition, the year I was born, and starting to get autographs on it.
Back in the 1980's, my father and I were dealers who went to about 40 shows per year. These older versions just weren't common to find. I then acquired the 1957 and 1977 editions. I thought they were just a great medium for autographs. At the time a lot of older HOFers were still alive, so getting them was easy. It also helped that in the early 80s Mantle and Dimaggio were $7 per autograph. The next event in the time line was a group purchase of about 20 of them at one of HOF weekend shows. From then on I was hooked. The ones in my collection that have no signatures have been acquired later. I just don't think it is worth it to spend the ridiculous auto prices today for group items like these, so I left them blank. Over the last 5 yrs or so I have added in the books from the 1940's.

Here is the 1966, 1957, and 1977 editions.







Adam,
That would've been an awesome book to own. Too bad you sold it. Now if someone had a Gehrig signed 1939 edition.....that would be incredible.


An interesting fact I just learned is that because Gehrig was a special election, there was no HOF induction ceremony and no evidence that he ever visited the HOF at all. It's interesting that it never dawned on me that there was no famous speech quoted from. One would think that given the emotional response to his speech at Yankee stadium, there would've been some mention of a speech in Cooperstown as well. I'm sure the sentiment from Lou would've been the same and equally moving.

Thanks all for your comments.

Best,
Mark

[Hot Springs Bathers]

Wow! Those signatures are impressive.

I started getting HOFers to sign the really nice coffee table book on the Hall from the 50th anniversary in 1989, the first year I made the trip.

After looking at your covers the thing that struck me the most after the "wow factor" was that you can read each and every signature. Today's athletes are tough. I read a statement a short time ago that Stan Musial promised himself that he would make every autograph as legible as possible.

My favorite current scene is watching the tennis players come off the court at the US Open and it look like they are just making a check mark on the items they are signing?

[mr2686]

Hey Mike, it sounds like we're both collecting autos in the 50th anniversary book. How many sigs do you have so far? I'm at 68 and counting.

[Hot Springs Bathers]

Mike- You have me beat by a country mile! I think I am in the 25 neighborhod. I quit going to shows back in the 1990s so it put the brakes on the project. Last one was two years ago in Little Rock when Al Kaline was in town to honor George Kell shortly before his passing.

Before that it was Fergie Jenkins at a minor league game. I think my first one was Luke Appling! My wife gave me the book for Christmas in 1989, we had made the trip to Cooperstown (and Canton and the then College Hall in Kings Island) that July.

I did go to my first show in years back in May in Arlington, TX but there were no HOFers there that day.

I am very impressed with your 68! We have family plans to make the inductions next year in Cooperstown. It should be a great chance for my daughter and I to add to the total.

[scmavl]

I love the '77 as well (my birth year). Just a superb collection, Mark.

[scmavl]

Also, any reason Monte Irvin signed the '66 and '77 yearbooks twice?

[Lordstan]

I probably just didn't notice that he had signed the first time.

[Gary Dunaier]

For the past few years the HOF published the YBs in hardcover as well as softcover - the HCs were sent to members at the Sustaining level and above. (I don't think they were offered for sale to the public.)

2010 was the last year the HOF published HC yearbooks - this year only SCs were available. Don't know when HCs were first produced.

[Cooptown]

Thanks to Mark showing me the way, I have just stumbled upon this topic now. Great stuff, Mark.

I have a few HOF yearbooks, but I collected the HOF programs (the free ones that were given out at the Induction). My father and I attended HOF Induction Weekends from 1987-1999. We would collect HOF Induction Programs, and then go to the Post Office to have them "cancelled" with a special Cooperstown Post Office postmark. I have a number of these signed, yet I can only seem to find 2 in my photobucket:




After that, other things in my life started to pop up: College, girls, summer jobs, drinking with my buddies, etc. We started to go again in 2007 (Ripken and Gwynn), then the following year in 2008 for Gossage and Williams. I really cherished those HOF Induction Weekends; both when I was younger and when I was "all grown up" again in the 2000s.

My father became ill during the spring of 2009, and passed away. I started this project when he was sick, and still continue it today. It makes me feel like I am still collecting with him when I add a new signature. While I have more valuable pieces in my collection, this is probably my favorite. In 1989 there was a special weekend devoted to the 50th Anniversary of the Baseball Hall of Fame in June. The Post Office also released the Lou Gehrig stamp this same weekend, and there was an old timers game, featuring some HOFers. I had Bob Feller sign the program, and it sat in a closet for about 20 years. When my Dad became ill, I started the project up again, and this is what it looks like today. It's currently out to add Lou Brock via a private signing, which would bring the total to 16. I wanted to start a multi-signed HOF project that linked me up to time spent with my Dad, was small enough to mail for private signings, and was also small enough to fall under the "small flat" fees at signings.


Mike and Mike-can you provide me with any other info, including a picture, about that 1989 coffee table book? I would LOVE to get my hands on one. Thanks. And thanks to Mark for starting such a great and informative thread.