Cy Young Auto...Legit?
 

Posting these photos for a local friend who picked this up at the KC Show last week. What do you guys think?

Why would he use his last name when writing to his mother? I'm by no means an expert though. I personally wouldn't buy it.

Walter is his mother? :)

lolololol

Wow. For a minute there I thought I owned a worthless 'Mother Johnson' autograph!!!

Too funny :)

I thought it said "Dear MOTHER"!!. HAHAHAHAHAHHA!!

I'm no expert, but I would pass....I don't like the "Y" in either

Does it say at all when it was signed...Of course date is a big factor, but below is my Cy that was purchased from Jim Stinson....The "Y" are very different in my opinion...

Hope this helps...

Ive seen a straighter Y like Mr. Bretta's example before that I think was good. Hard to say. Rest of it looks pretty good IMO.

We need Mr. Stinson and Mr. Simon:)

JimStinson
 

It looks like its postmarked 1913 , Is that correct ? If so the signature is going to vary (somewhat) from what most of us are used to seeing. Is it possible to see the entire item ? Or is it just 1/2 of a postcard ?
_____________________________
jim@stinsonsports.com

JimStinson
 

Here is the name WALTER in Cy Young's hand written in 1935. Compare it to the Walter not mother.....:):):) On the postcard.
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jim@stinsonsports.com

The letter "r" in Walter is different in your friend's photo than in the exemplar.

Yes, postmarked sept 25, 1913 in Dayton Ohio. And that seems to be over the pencil of the message.

from the placement of the cancel it looks like the message was written sideways on the postcard.

It would be interesting to see it out of the frame if the rest of the postcard is there.

Young managed a Federal league team in Cleveland in 1913 but it looks like the season ended around September 13th.

Steve B

I told him to take the postcard out of the frame, but he was hesitant to do that...it's elaborately framed with a photo of Young above this postcard. I would like to know what is on the other half and other side of that card. I won't see him again until next Tuesday at the local auction, but I'll try and convince him to "deframe" that.

he should take it out of the frame. if it's glued down try to use a hair dryer.

James,

I remember when Jim offered this Cy Young signed postcard.
I'm envious as that's one terrific piece that I would love to own. :cool:

As stated by other posters, Cy definately signed earlier in his career with the straight "y" and "g" at the bottom. I'm not certain that the original posters' example is real, but just noting that different variations of Cy's sig definately exists. Seeing the entire postcard and examining it up close out of the frame would be important to me as well, FWIW...

JimStinson
 

Well Yes and No , the interesting thing is that on his VERY early signatures , Actually BEFORE 1913 , most notably one of his player contracts there is a very pronounced circle loop to finish the "g" in Young. Then later on even in the 1930's I see the straight vertical version and after that alternate versions of both the loop and the straight vertical drop in both the "y" in Cy and the "g" in Young.

Interesting sidenote after Cy Young's wife died he moved in to live with a neighboring family that was no relation. They had a young daughter named Ruth , She was still alive 20 + years ago as I spoke to her on the phone. She remembered Cy and looked at him almost like her own grandfather. She told me that as he got older any letters that needed to be written for him would be written by her or her mother and then signed by him.
I've seen some of those and they are clearly in a different feminine hand. But what she didn't admit too but I firmly believe is that toward the very, very end either her or her mother or both were responding to autograph requests and signing for him too. The "good news" is that those don't look anything like either of the authentic versions of his signature so they are easy to spot
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jim@stinsonsports.com

Jim,
That's very interesting info about the earlier version of his sig on one of his very early contracts. Do you have an exemplar to share, just out of curiousity?

JimStinson
 

I'm guessing but it looks like based on the scan that the postcard was cut in half as there appears to be hinges upper right corner and lower left corner. If it was indeed cut in half I would wonder why as the other half would have been the address portion.

With regards to the signature of Cy Young I mentioned in an earlier post here it is, If the date is correct this would have been signed about 6 years prior. Big difference.
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jim@stinsonsports.com

Thanks Jim! That's very helpful!
BTW, I haven't ever seen that version of his signature. It does seem like the "oun" in his sig from his last name Young stayed pretty consistent throughot his life from 1907 until he passed away. Just an observation...

My friend listed it yesterday...there are pics of the front and back of the postcard.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cy-Young-Aut...item3f228eb2d4

no return? there's the ebay buyer's protection but for an item like this you'd like more than a 45 day window

I know the guy, he'll refund your money if it turns out bad...the dealer that sold it to him also gave him a money back guarantee.

Why say in an ad that he has not yet sent it in to get authenticated?
If he wants to get it authenticated why not send it in, get it authenticated, and then put it up for sale?
I am going to take a survey of dentists and I am sure that 4 out of 5 dentists surveyed will agree with what I have said.
If they are willing to have me post their names I will post them, hope that will satisfy all.
:D:D;);)

No, Richard. It won't satisfy all.

Simple rule: No name? No post.