Sharing a unique autograph - Slightly OT, but it is a pre-war star

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Posted By: jackgoodman

Leon, if considered OT, please feel free to delete.

Thought I would share this autograph I received back in the '60's. I would send 3x5 cards to players (names and addresses usually found in the Trader Speaks) and ask for their autographs. I would usually include a card with a question on it, requesting that they answer the question for me. Many didn't, but some did and they make a valued part of my collection.

This was probably the best response.

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Posted By: Daniel Bretta

Jack, very cool. How many of those cards did you get back with the questions answered?

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Posted By: jackgoodman

Daniel,

Only got back about a half dozen. But it made opening my mail more interesting. I took my desire to be different into the autographed ball arena, asking players to sign their full name (first, middle, last) for me. I thought that since a Babe Ruth sig was a great collectible, that a ball signed George Herman Ruth would be even better and a much scarcer signature.

I've now got great sigs of Wilver Dennel Stargell, Jos. P. DiMaggio (that was the best he offered), Johnny Lee Bench, and Sanford Sandy Koufax, among others.

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Posted By: leon

This is good stuff. Very neat item. O/T stuff is allowed by board participants occassionally...regards

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Posted By: scgaynor

It is a neat item, and probably was Dizzy's words, but the actual signature is secretarial.

Dean was close to illiterate and seldom wrote anything beyond his name.

You may already have know that, but just letting others know who see something similar in the future.

Scott

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Posted By: Tom Boblitt

the signature looked a little off. Normally you see the quotes around the Dizzy part of the name. Have a couple 3x5's and HOF plaques of him. Obviously his words though spoken to someone and still a cool item.

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Posted By: William Brumbach

Kind of a small scan, but you get the general idea. From a recent eBay auction:

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Posted By: jackgoodman

You guys are definitely the top of the game.

I hadn't looked at the autographs in probably 20 years or so. But pulling the others that were returned at the same time, absolutely makes you guys right. I always had assumed that the lack of quotation marks was a result of his telling a story. But the signatures on the extra 3x5's all have the quotes.

I still like the item alot. But thanks for the heads-up and knowledge sharing.

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Posted By: scgaynor

The quotes don't determine if the signature is secretarial or authentic. The piece encapsulated by PSA is authentic, however the three index cards are secretarial. Sorry to be a buzzkill Jack, I think that Dean just had somebody answering his mail at the time that you made the autograph request.

Scott

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Posted By: warshawlaw

A definite buzz kill...

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Posted By: jackgoodman

Ok, so I suppose next you're going to tell me that the T206 Wagner with the Cobb back I got from a guy who had to sell it to pay for his wife's pms treatments is bogus too!

Seriously, terribly disappointed but appreciate the knowledge in this group. At least all I had invested in them was two 6 cent stamps.

Oh well, on my way to the shredder.........

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Posted By: Scott Forrest

I was a huge baseball fan in the '60s, but never even considered writing away for autographs. But we were always on the look-out for pro athletes who were appearing nearby. The best was a golf tournament where I met Dick Butkus, Lee Roy Jordan, Alex Karras, Mel Farr, Deacon Jones, Pete Beathard, Lem Barney, Mike Lucci, Ed Meadors, and many other football players. You just walked around, caught them buying a beer, milling around a tee-box or at the pool, and talked with them. Too bad kids can't experience that today.

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Posted By: jackgoodman

Scott,

Things were different in the 60's. Ball players were more like the guy that lived next door and had to hold down a job selling insurance or Sears appliances during the off season. They were approachable. Not like today's gazillionaires.

I remember going to a Dodger game at the Coliseum. Two rows behind us was Norm Sherry (who was sitting out some games with a broken/sprained wrist or something). Walked over to him, asked him for an autograph and get this, he said "thanks for asking."

Them were the days. That's why I felt fairly good about the autographs I received in the mail. No one was making big money buying and selling autographs so there was no money to be made in forgeries or the like. Oh well.

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Posted By: john/z28jd

Heres a Dean auto received in person during Mickey Mantle day in 1965 by my dad who was sitting next to him.Its on a program from that day along with Rizzuto,Heinrich,Jerry Coleman and Joe Garagiola