Bobby Murray 1923 Washington Senators

[r2678]

I'm checking autographs from a collection I purchased with those on line to see 1) authenticity and 2) rarity. I'm having a heck of a time finding examples for Robert Murray, 1923 Washington Senators. He passed in 1979 so I assume he isn't especially scarce. But why can't I find examples other than a team ball?

[egri]

Without knowing anything about him other than what's on his Wikipedia page, it's possible that he was difficult to track down and wasn't very sought after. He was only up for a season, wasn't a part of a particularly memorable team, then went back to northern New England, which was very remote pre-Interstate. With a lot of these cup of coffee players, their playing careers pale in comparison to what they did after baseball, so they get forgotten. I'm having the same issue with Bill Antonello, who I need for my project (though not as extreme; I can find examples of his signature, but good luck getting one on a card). He went back to Minnesota after his 40-game career ended, and the last time his signed 1953 Topps popped up, it went for almost $500. It was the second one I've seen in seven years of working on this set. You'd think someone who lived 40 years after the set was issued would've signed a few more, but I guess not.