Basically collecting baseball autographs did not exist until the mid-late 1920's. It emerged as a hobby in the early 1930's and expanded in 1932 when the Watermans fountain pen company gave away free books to kids all across America and gave them instructions on collecting signatures as a hobby. After that contest, it really took off!
One of the guys who posts here from time to time, Tom Hufford, is one of the pioneers of the hobby and his stories are absolutely amazing and go back to the 1960's. He was a co-founder of SABR and literally has a story about every single ballplayer I have ever mentioned to him. I have told him he needs to write a book, but that thing would be bigger than the baseball encyclopedia. I dont think anybody has been bigger in the hobby for as long as he has.
Rhys
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