Not a card but an incredible item to pair with my Dave Hoskins card collection, shown here.
If you don’t know his story, Hoskins, who pitched briefly for the Indians in the 1950s, starred as an outfielder with the Homestead Grays. You might recognize at least two of his legendary teammates.
Between the Negro Leagues and the American League, Hoskins integrated the Texas League in 1952. He was the league’s top pitcher and third best hitter and his team, the Dallas Eagles, set attendance records whenever he pitched. Still, as chronicled by his 1954 Topps card, he received racist death threats.
There are a couple collectibles from that Dallas season that I’m not sure I’ll ever find, but what I did find (and won tonight!) is this ball signed by the entire 1952 Dallas Eagles team. The Hoskins signature is shown here, and other parts of the ball include Don Mossi, Dutch Meyer, and Eddie Knoblauch.
Very, very excited to add this to my collection.