February Pickups..

[Michael B]

I enjoy seeing the vintage signatures that everyone picks up. I don't collect baseball, but love looking at the old signatures. They also stick in my memory when I am out scrounging for items at paper shows, stamp shows and the such.

I finally have an item worthy of posting. I won this item last week after I stumbled across it. It is part of a large collection of 1930's signatures that Lelands has been listing on ebay. Most of them have spartan descriptions, just the title with nothing in the listing. This is a letter written by George Spitz who competed in the 1932 Olympics in the high jump where he finished 9th. He was also NCAA champ in 1934. He writes that since he received the request while in Boston to compete in the Olympic Trials (at Harvard Stadium) he had the other members of the NY Athletic Club attending the trials also sign the card. On the right hand side Olympians Percy Beard (silver medal 1932 110m hurdles) and Gene Venzke (1936 Olympics 1500m 9th) have signed the card. The rest are not Olympians. The left hand side has George Spitz at the bottom. The gem on this card is the top signature. It is Pat McDonald. He won gold and silver medals in the shotput at the 1912 Olympics. He won a gold medal in the 56lb weight throw at the 1920 Olympics at the age of 42. He is the oldest track and field champ in the Olympics. One year after signing this card he won his last AAU championship, in the 56lb weight throw, at the age of 55. He was a lifelong NY City police officer (An Irishman who was a cop in NYC, you must be kidding!!!) and he died in 1954.

This is the first time I have run across his signature. A few of my European collector friends have one, but it is very uncommon. Think of a winning pitcher or starter for the 1912 Red Sox who died 60 years ago. The best part is the letter is perfect provenance. Also included was the envelope for the small card and the envelope mailed back to the collector who lived about 3 miles from where I grew up and 3 - 4 miles from Harvard Stadium.