Found this in a box while I was looking for something else! Picked this up at a home video tradeshow in Las Vegas in 1988 or so. Lotsa fun back in the day.
Tallulah Bankhead — 'There have been only two geniuses in the world. Willie Mays and Willie Shakespeare.'
My grandfather was program director at a radio station so my father had access to many athletes and stars as a child in central PA in the 1940s/50s. Aside from numerous Phillies "Whiz Kids" autographs from that era, he was able to get an auto from Harry Blackstone Sr.
It is a check signed by billionaire J. Paul Getty. I am not sure if he was a billionaire when he signed this check - maybe he only had a few hundred million at that time.
What fascinated me about this check is that Getty was so involved in his finances that he signed this one for fifty cents.
@PipestonePete said:
Great item, JBK. What year was this check signed?
Good question! I meant to also post a picture of the full check but for some reason it would not take. In any case, I added it now.
This check is from 1944. Most that I have seen on the market seem to be from the 1940s, virtually all with the two file holes for storage in a legal or accounting binder. There are also some from the late 1950s or 1960s from later in his life when he moved to England.
And now I see that the check was punch cancelled on the 14th. That is pretty cool. Fifty cents for a 5# bag of wheat flour for one of the richest men in the world...and he probably haggled over the price of that.
Here’s a pretty nice example of a pretty cool collectible and it is signed by a true legend of sport. My favorite player of all time and one of the more collected, too. This item has already been authenticated once but I prefer Newport Beach’s opinion and slab so the next time I see it in hand, it should be encased in a Jumbo holder...
1961 Manny’s Baseball Land - Mickey Mantle
Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?
@1951WheatiesPremium said:
Here’s a pretty nice example of a pretty cool collectible and it is signed by a true legend of sport. Well, he's no Ted William's, but not bad anyway.
Back in the era when people like Ted William's, Joe DiMaggio, and Mickey Mantle were doing signings I got baseballs from each.
Ted was in person, so I know that one is real. The others were off of a major cable shopping channel with COAs of the time. I am confident on Joe, and pretty confident on Mickey but his has been so widely forged it still scares me a bit.
P.S. - I have to tell you that I am not a fan of those authentication stickers, especially on the front of the item. If you get it authenticated too many times there won't be any picture left.
@JBK said:
P.S. - I have to tell you that I am not a fan of those authentication stickers, especially on the front of the item. If you get it authenticated too many times there won't be any picture left.
Me either! But I bought it already authenticated and was afraid to remove it and damage it in the process.
The optimist in me appreciates the fact that it has been authenticated by two companies (once it’s in a PSA Jumbo slab) but I, too, would have preferred it not be on there.
Ted was great; would have been even better just by putting on the pinstripes, too.
😉
Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?
Ted was great; would have been even better just by putting on the pinstripes, too.
😉
Hey, we gave you Babe Ruth. Wasn't he enough?
One more? Also somewhat challenging to find as a collectible and also signed. Signed is not really the aspect of it that I was after but the signature (already authenticated by PSA) is so nice (aesthetically placed, the excellent pen tip selection and the placement) that I literally double checked the issue to make sure this wasn’t a facsimile; this pairing (the above and below) is off to Newport Beach as we speak...
1960 Sports Pix Premium Mickey Mantle
Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?
@1951WheatiesPremium said:
Here’s a pretty nice example of a pretty cool collectible and it is signed by a true legend of sport. Well, he's no Ted William's, but not bad anyway.
Back in the era when people like Ted William's, Joe DiMaggio, and Mickey Mantle were doing signings I got baseballs from each.
Ted was in person, so I know that one is real. The others were off of a major cable shopping channel with COAs of the time. I am confident on Joe, and pretty confident on Mickey but his has been so widely forged it still scares me a bit.
Since I’m not here in the Autos Forum too often, and I’ve used my incredible powers of astuteness to deduce you are a Red Sox fan, here’s a nice unsigned Ted that you don’t see everyday (and maybe have never seen) from a rare Cuban set.
1946 Propagandas Montiel Ted Williams
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all...
Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?
That has got to be a rare one. Not the best photo of him but an obscure issue.
The one pic I wish I had gotten him to sign was the one of him in his fighter jet (Korean War, I think).
Late in the game I started to get HOFers and other famous players who had served in WWII to autograph balls with their military service. That would have been one heck of a collection if I had started 20 years earlier.
That Mantle is indeed a unique signature. Not seeing it in hand I would have guessed pre-print based on the dark fine-line ink. Very unusual (in a good way).
Back in the early 2000s I sent Iwo Jima first flag raiser Charles Lindberg ten cards to sign (I paid him to sign them). He signed them all in the lower half of the cards. I then had to figure out what to do with the big blank area above his signature.
I sent a few to Medal of Honor recipient Herschel "Woody" Williams who earned the honor on the same day on Iwo Jima.
Back in the early 1990's I picked up the book "Immortal Images" by Tedd Thomey which told the story of Joseph Rosenthal and William Genaust taking the famous images atop Mount Suribachi. Rosenthal won the Pulitzer Prize for his famous image. Genaust, a Marine Corps combat photographer, took color movie footage of the flag raising while standing directly beside Rosenthal. Genaust was killed in action 9 days later and never got off the island. His remains are still entombed there. While reading Tedd Thomey's book I discovered that Genaust had graduated from the same high school that I graduated from. It had never been mentioned in my years of schooling there and none of my classmates knew anything about it. I contacted the local paper, as well as author Tedd Thomey, and set up an interview with one of the local newspaper writers. The paper did a great write-up that spanned two issues. I created a memorial of Genuast that now hangs in the high school library. After some serious searching, I was fortunate enough to find a vintage high school annual that Genaust had signed his senior year.
The photos below show Willaim Genaust on Iwo Jima, a frame from his 16MM movie film, myself and a friend displaying the memorial I assembled, and a close up of William's senior picture which is signed.
He was killed by Japanese gun fire and the cave opening was then bulldozed closed. There have been several attempts in recent years to locate his remains but searches have so far been unsuccessful.
Got this working in a wine warehouse temping until there were baseball games to umpire. Nobody wanted to wait on a customer who had purchased four cases of wine as we were so busy so I drew the the short straw. Lo and behold there was Roger Clemens standing outside a Corvette with a big busted blonde inside! I loaded the wine and then asked for an autograph and he took out this baseball card and an 8 X 10 and signed them both! He wrote "Work hard" on the photo. Good times.
Tallulah Bankhead — 'There have been only two geniuses in the world. Willie Mays and Willie Shakespeare.'
@psychump said:
Got this working in a wine warehouse temping until there were baseball games to umpire. Nobody wanted to wait on a customer who had purchased four cases of wine as we were so busy so I drew the the short straw. Lo and behold there was Roger Clemens standing outside a Corvette with a big busted blonde inside! I loaded the wine and then asked for an autograph and he took out this baseball card and an 8 X 10 and signed them both! He wrote "Work hard" on the photo. Good times.
That is a great story.
Now I want to know what Clemens did with four cases of wine, a Corvette, and that blonde.
You guys all have some very cool and some rare ones.
My favorite autographs are the ones that I got in person, or there are a few I got as a kid through the mail.
I missed the Cowboys' glory years of the 70s and very early 80s - no, I rode them as my team in the lean years, mid-to-late 80s. I mailed a letter to them probably around 1987 saying how they were my favorite team and I would be so happy to receive back anything they might send.
They sent me some cool stuff, but none was cooler than these!
The color photo of Tony and Herschel I actually got in person not all that long ago. It was in the packet Cowboys front office sent me, but unsigned.
Assuming those are real (and I have no reason to don't them) - that has to be one of the best TTM (through the mail) scores from a sports team.
I guess it was indeed their lean years if they were sending out that much stuff to a fan. Maybe you were the only fan they had at that particular time!
And that's a great way to leverage opportunities with the recent color picture.
This piece is from Mickey’s spot in Joplin, Missouri. Looks like the ballpoint sig has faded some but it’s still a nice piece. Apologies for lacking variety; I just love the Mick...
Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?
@JBK said:
Assuming those are real (and I have no reason to don't them) - that has to be one of the best TTM (through the mail) scores from a sports team.
I guess it was indeed their lean years if they were sending out that much stuff to a fan. Maybe you were the only fan they had at that particular time!
And that's a great way to leverage opportunities with the recent color picture.
I’ve wondered if a secretary or something could’ve signed, but I’ve never tried to compare. Except Dorsett’s Signature from 87 and then about 25 years later looks similar. And given the era back then...fewer autograph hounds, no ebay and fewer professional autograph seekers and given the circumstances of a young fan writing their favorite team, I am comfortable assuming authenticity. I forget where, but some book or magazine I got as a kid published all the team addresses. I also got Dickerson, Roger Craig and Clayton & Duper through the mail a could years later.
The Cowboys also included several other unsigned b&w 8x10s...Too Tall, Everson Walls, Michael Downs, Doug Cosby, Mike Sherrard. They included an unsigned Herschel then I had him sign that in person years later. I also have a Mike Renfro auto from that batch I didn’t post (not sure people know who he is).
At a Chantilly CSA show Dorsett and Staubach attended I had them both sign a white panel Cowboys football I used to play with as a kid. I like that one.
I don't know if this is a safe for work forum?...inspired by my Dallas Cowboy autographs, I sent some letters to other favorite TV "stars" of the time. Some other magazines put their addresses in there for fans. I can post those, I don't know, I saw Traci Lords.
I'd tried for years to win one on his webpage (He gives one away every month) but no luck. I finally bought a "Mystery" box with the chicken in it, that they were offering a couple months ago.
This is some of the things that came in it:
It was $100 and worth every penny...at least to me.
These recently came home from a trip to Newport Beach. They’re pictured above, sure, but this is the PSA/DNA AUTOGRAPH FORUM!!!!! And. Ow they’re all dressed and ready for prime time, baby!
And I’m pretty shameless...
Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?
I am happy to contribute a pretty neat piece from my collection. My family has been around the Indy 500 since the early 50's, as a matter of fact my grandmother, grandfather and dad and uncles all have worked in some capacity at the Speedway, we all know that over the years it has been a who's who of people that have raced or visited the track during the month of May. When my grandmother passed there was rumors of books she had from years at USAC where every event she would go to, she would ask drivers, officials, celebrities and so on to sign....well i was lucky enough to find these books and i wanted to share one with you all because it is not all racing. Many of the auto are the legends of the sport who died way too early in their life, there are rookies of the year, multiple winners, models, actors, etc that were all willing to sign their names for this little woman who happened to be my grandmother take a look and enjoy the history!!
@indy500_fan said:
I am happy to contribute a pretty neat piece from my collection. My family has been around the Indy 500 since the early 50's, as a matter of fact my grandmother, grandfather and dad and uncles all have worked in some capacity at the Speedway, we all know that over the years it has been a who's who of people that have raced or visited the track during the month of May. When my grandmother passed there was rumors of books she had from years at USAC where every event she would go to, she would ask drivers, officials, celebrities and so on to sign....well i was lucky enough to find these books and i wanted to share one with you all because it is not all racing. Many of the auto are the legends of the sport who died way too early in their life, there are rookies of the year, multiple winners, models, actors, etc that were all willing to sign their names for this little woman who happened to be my grandmother take a look and enjoy the history!!
That's really cool! I spent a lot of time at IMS growing up with my grandfather/father both in USAC also. I recognize quite a few names in there. Have you been able to identify all of them?
Actually Donald Davidson (if you know IMS and the Indy 500, he is the track historian) is a close family friend, I took the book to him about a year ago and he I spent about an hour going through it...I think we were able to name 95% of the signatures
Yes-you are correct PipestonePete!! It was very common for celebrities to gather at the start finish line and walk the grid ahead of the start of the race, the story goes my Grandfather would walk the grid and have anyone he could find that was famous at that time sign whatever he had on him, in this case it was this piece of paper....no place like Indy on race day!!
Comments
I've always been a big fan of Yaz. Even after he single-handedly eliminated the Twins from the playoffs in his Triple Crown year, 1967.
Found this in a box while I was looking for something else! Picked this up at a home video tradeshow in Las Vegas in 1988 or so. Lotsa fun back in the day.
The great Fats Domino:
My grandfather was program director at a radio station so my father had access to many athletes and stars as a child in central PA in the 1940s/50s. Aside from numerous Phillies "Whiz Kids" autographs from that era, he was able to get an auto from Harry Blackstone Sr.
Jim
That's a great looking item, Jim. 1940's, do you think?
Yep, good guess - 1949.
Jim
Here is a new purchase.
It is a check signed by billionaire J. Paul Getty. I am not sure if he was a billionaire when he signed this check - maybe he only had a few hundred million at that time.
What fascinated me about this check is that Getty was so involved in his finances that he signed this one for fifty cents.
Great item, JBK. What year was this check signed?
Good question! I meant to also post a picture of the full check but for some reason it would not take. In any case, I added it now.
This check is from 1944. Most that I have seen on the market seem to be from the 1940s, virtually all with the two file holes for storage in a legal or accounting binder. There are also some from the late 1950s or 1960s from later in his life when he moved to England.
And now I see that the check was punch cancelled on the 14th. That is pretty cool. Fifty cents for a 5# bag of wheat flour for one of the richest men in the world...and he probably haggled over the price of that.
From what I have read about him that's exactly what he did.
Should have been our POTUS!
Here’s a pretty nice example of a pretty cool collectible and it is signed by a true legend of sport. My favorite player of all time and one of the more collected, too. This item has already been authenticated once but I prefer Newport Beach’s opinion and slab so the next time I see it in hand, it should be encased in a Jumbo holder...
1961 Manny’s Baseball Land - Mickey Mantle
Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/987963/1951-wheaties-premium-photos-set-registry#latest
Back in the era when people like Ted William's, Joe DiMaggio, and Mickey Mantle were doing signings I got baseballs from each.
Ted was in person, so I know that one is real. The others were off of a major cable shopping channel with COAs of the time. I am confident on Joe, and pretty confident on Mickey but his has been so widely forged it still scares me a bit.
P.S. - I have to tell you that I am not a fan of those authentication stickers, especially on the front of the item. If you get it authenticated too many times there won't be any picture left.
Me either! But I bought it already authenticated and was afraid to remove it and damage it in the process.
The optimist in me appreciates the fact that it has been authenticated by two companies (once it’s in a PSA Jumbo slab) but I, too, would have preferred it not be on there.
Ted was great; would have been even better just by putting on the pinstripes, too.
😉
Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/987963/1951-wheaties-premium-photos-set-registry#latest
Hey, we gave you Babe Ruth. Wasn't he enough?
One more? Also somewhat challenging to find as a collectible and also signed. Signed is not really the aspect of it that I was after but the signature (already authenticated by PSA) is so nice (aesthetically placed, the excellent pen tip selection and the placement) that I literally double checked the issue to make sure this wasn’t a facsimile; this pairing (the above and below) is off to Newport Beach as we speak...
1960 Sports Pix Premium Mickey Mantle
Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/987963/1951-wheaties-premium-photos-set-registry#latest
Since I’m not here in the Autos Forum too often, and I’ve used my incredible powers of astuteness to deduce you are a Red Sox fan, here’s a nice unsigned Ted that you don’t see everyday (and maybe have never seen) from a rare Cuban set.
1946 Propagandas Montiel Ted Williams
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all...
Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/987963/1951-wheaties-premium-photos-set-registry#latest
That has got to be a rare one. Not the best photo of him but an obscure issue.
The one pic I wish I had gotten him to sign was the one of him in his fighter jet (Korean War, I think).
Late in the game I started to get HOFers and other famous players who had served in WWII to autograph balls with their military service. That would have been one heck of a collection if I had started 20 years earlier.
That Mantle is indeed a unique signature. Not seeing it in hand I would have guessed pre-print based on the dark fine-line ink. Very unusual (in a good way).
Back in the early 2000s I sent Iwo Jima first flag raiser Charles Lindberg ten cards to sign (I paid him to sign them). He signed them all in the lower half of the cards. I then had to figure out what to do with the big blank area above his signature.
I sent a few to Medal of Honor recipient Herschel "Woody" Williams who earned the honor on the same day on Iwo Jima.
Back in the early 1990's I picked up the book "Immortal Images" by Tedd Thomey which told the story of Joseph Rosenthal and William Genaust taking the famous images atop Mount Suribachi. Rosenthal won the Pulitzer Prize for his famous image. Genaust, a Marine Corps combat photographer, took color movie footage of the flag raising while standing directly beside Rosenthal. Genaust was killed in action 9 days later and never got off the island. His remains are still entombed there. While reading Tedd Thomey's book I discovered that Genaust had graduated from the same high school that I graduated from. It had never been mentioned in my years of schooling there and none of my classmates knew anything about it. I contacted the local paper, as well as author Tedd Thomey, and set up an interview with one of the local newspaper writers. The paper did a great write-up that spanned two issues. I created a memorial of Genuast that now hangs in the high school library. After some serious searching, I was fortunate enough to find a vintage high school annual that Genaust had signed his senior year.
The photos below show Willaim Genaust on Iwo Jima, a frame from his 16MM movie film, myself and a friend displaying the memorial I assembled, and a close up of William's senior picture which is signed.
That's an amazing story!
Genaust was killed while using his movie lights to light up the interior of a Japanese held cave.
He was killed by Japanese gun fire and the cave opening was then bulldozed closed. There have been several attempts in recent years to locate his remains but searches have so far been unsuccessful.
Awesome stuff.
Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/987963/1951-wheaties-premium-photos-set-registry#latest
Got this working in a wine warehouse temping until there were baseball games to umpire. Nobody wanted to wait on a customer who had purchased four cases of wine as we were so busy so I drew the the short straw. Lo and behold there was Roger Clemens standing outside a Corvette with a big busted blonde inside! I loaded the wine and then asked for an autograph and he took out this baseball card and an 8 X 10 and signed them both! He wrote "Work hard" on the photo. Good times.
That is a great story.
Now I want to know what Clemens did with four cases of wine, a Corvette, and that blonde.
You guys all have some very cool and some rare ones.
My favorite autographs are the ones that I got in person, or there are a few I got as a kid through the mail.
I missed the Cowboys' glory years of the 70s and very early 80s - no, I rode them as my team in the lean years, mid-to-late 80s. I mailed a letter to them probably around 1987 saying how they were my favorite team and I would be so happy to receive back anything they might send.
They sent me some cool stuff, but none was cooler than these!
The color photo of Tony and Herschel I actually got in person not all that long ago. It was in the packet Cowboys front office sent me, but unsigned.
Assuming those are real (and I have no reason to don't them) - that has to be one of the best TTM (through the mail) scores from a sports team.
I guess it was indeed their lean years if they were sending out that much stuff to a fan. Maybe you were the only fan they had at that particular time!
And that's a great way to leverage opportunities with the recent color picture.
This piece is from Mickey’s spot in Joplin, Missouri. Looks like the ballpoint sig has faded some but it’s still a nice piece. Apologies for lacking variety; I just love the Mick...
Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/987963/1951-wheaties-premium-photos-set-registry#latest
I’ve wondered if a secretary or something could’ve signed, but I’ve never tried to compare. Except Dorsett’s Signature from 87 and then about 25 years later looks similar. And given the era back then...fewer autograph hounds, no ebay and fewer professional autograph seekers and given the circumstances of a young fan writing their favorite team, I am comfortable assuming authenticity. I forget where, but some book or magazine I got as a kid published all the team addresses. I also got Dickerson, Roger Craig and Clayton & Duper through the mail a could years later.
The Cowboys also included several other unsigned b&w 8x10s...Too Tall, Everson Walls, Michael Downs, Doug Cosby, Mike Sherrard. They included an unsigned Herschel then I had him sign that in person years later. I also have a Mike Renfro auto from that batch I didn’t post (not sure people know who he is).
At a Chantilly CSA show Dorsett and Staubach attended I had them both sign a white panel Cowboys football I used to play with as a kid. I like that one.
That's what it's all about!
Ive only seen four items directly from Bond sets , three are in my collection......oaak's
Auger mightve been sec from 2011-19 , either that or she started signing sloppy on purpose (Eva Green also used same Artmedia addy and shes fake ttm)
Horror Express spa 1sh & ita 4sh sgd by composer , never heard or seen any collector with similar , amazing !
I don't know if this is a safe for work forum?...inspired by my Dallas Cowboy autographs, I sent some letters to other favorite TV "stars" of the time. Some other magazines put their addresses in there for fans. I can post those, I don't know, I saw Traci Lords.
Yes, myst be SFW.
A rubber chicken autographed by Svengoolie.
Sweet!!! Love Svengoolie! Watch every Saturday Night and compare notes with my parents who I visit every Sunday. Very Cool Item.
Longoria Collector. Love the Longo!
600+ PSA Graded 4,700+ unique Longoria cards scanned on TCDB 800+ different Longo autograph cards Jeff
I'd tried for years to win one on his webpage (He gives one away every month) but no luck. I finally bought a "Mystery" box with the chicken in it, that they were offering a couple months ago.
This is some of the things that came in it:
It was $100 and worth every penny...at least to me.
Nice 17 year career! Met him in Vegas at a convention in the early aughts. Died a couple years ago.
These recently came home from a trip to Newport Beach. They’re pictured above, sure, but this is the PSA/DNA AUTOGRAPH FORUM!!!!! And. Ow they’re all dressed and ready for prime time, baby!
And I’m pretty shameless...
Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/987963/1951-wheaties-premium-photos-set-registry#latest
Congrats! Nice signed pics.
I am happy to contribute a pretty neat piece from my collection. My family has been around the Indy 500 since the early 50's, as a matter of fact my grandmother, grandfather and dad and uncles all have worked in some capacity at the Speedway, we all know that over the years it has been a who's who of people that have raced or visited the track during the month of May. When my grandmother passed there was rumors of books she had from years at USAC where every event she would go to, she would ask drivers, officials, celebrities and so on to sign....well i was lucky enough to find these books and i wanted to share one with you all because it is not all racing. Many of the auto are the legends of the sport who died way too early in their life, there are rookies of the year, multiple winners, models, actors, etc that were all willing to sign their names for this little woman who happened to be my grandmother
take a look and enjoy the history!!
That is a great project your GM undertook.
If it were mine I'd try to identify as many of the signatures as possible and keep a list with the book.
That's really cool! I spent a lot of time at IMS growing up with my grandfather/father both in USAC also. I recognize quite a few names in there. Have you been able to identify all of them?
Actually Donald Davidson (if you know IMS and the Indy 500, he is the track historian) is a close family friend, I took the book to him about a year ago and he I spent about an hour going through it...I think we were able to name 95% of the signatures
That is quite a diverse grouping of signatures. O.J. Simpson?? Kirk Douglas?? Burgess Meredith??
Yes-you are correct PipestonePete!! It was very common for celebrities to gather at the start finish line and walk the grid ahead of the start of the race, the story goes my Grandfather would walk the grid and have anyone he could find that was famous at that time sign whatever he had on him, in this case it was this piece of paper....no place like Indy on race day!!
That's an amazing collection of autographs from Indy drivers. I recognize so many of them. Brings back many memories. Thanks for sharing.