Here is a Jimmy Carter warehouse receipt from his peanut farming and bonded warehouse days. Within 13 years of this being signed he would serve as governor of Georgia and then be elected president.
This is a new pickup for me and now I have two of them. I love these as he used what would turn out to be a rare form of his signature on them: "James E. Carter Jr."
Checks written from the warehouse account were usually signed "JE Carter, Jr."
In his political years he routinely signed as "Jimmy Carter" and in his post-presidential years at book signings he would sign as "J Carter".
In the internet age President Carter avoids the PC due to fears over getting hacked, so if he wanted to reply to people who wrote to him he commonly jotted his comment in the margin of either the writer's original letter or a photocopy of it, and those notes are usually signed "Jimmy C."
Here is a recent acquisition. It is an envelope with a "free frank" signature of former First Lady Edith Bolling Wilson.
What especially interested me was the black border, which makes it a "mourning cover". I guessed that if it was her own husband's passing that she was mourning then this would be a very early use of her free frank signature, since only widowed First Ladies have the franking privilege.
It is hard to see, but the cover was postmarked on March 7, 1924. Through just a little research I found that she had been granted the franking privilege by Congress on March 4th, and the Postmaster General sent her a letter on March 5th to inform her. Assuming his letter reached her the next day on the 6th, then this envelope postmarked on March 7th was certainly one of the very first she sent using her signature instead of a postage stamp.
I actually found on the internet an auction house's archive page that showed that this exact envelope sold in 2004 for 2 1/2 times what I paid for it recently. That auction had a notation that it was sent only three days after Mrs. Wilson was granted the privilege, but the recent auction did not. (I will be sure to keep documentation with the cover so its significance won't be lost once again).
My Mother used to send get will wishes to Actors and others and she got this in return this time. There is many others in my collection that she left me.
Steve Earle and The Dukes lastest release. Only 500 copies pressed on COAL/SMOKE colored vinyl and signed by Steve. I was lucky enough to see the band in concert last fall and meet Mr. Earle who signed a couple of CD liners for me.
An unplayed (it was still sealed when I mailed it to Middle Ear Studios for signing) vintage 1969 "ODESSA" album that the Brothers Gibb signed for me in the summer of 1994. This album has a velvet cover and I was a little concerned about how the signatures would turn out. Now, more than 25 years later they still look as good as new.
It's an 11" X 14" litho using the lyrics to one of Nesmith's tunes "Some of Shelly's Blues" written out in the design of a portrait of Mike featured on the cover of the Nesmith solo LP "Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash" that the song was included on.. Signed and numbered by the artist. Available on Mike's "Video Ranch" website for $20! (I begged, pleaded, and even tried bribery but couldn't convince them to have Nesmith sign it.)
@PipestonePete said:
I begged, pleaded, and even tried bribery but couldn't convince them to have Nesmith sign it.
The one thing you left out was threatening them.
They were able to ship it so it was not damaged? That's a tough size to ship.
Very well packaged. I ordered two of the lithos and each was in it's own archival sleeve with cardboard backing all packed up flat in a sturdy cardboard box. I also ordered two autobiographies by Nesmith which he sells for $17. I pretty much took care of some Christmas shopping early this year.
I was poking thru the "archives" today and I came across these.
I am posting them as a reminder to take advantage of opportunities when they exist.
The first is a quote signed by Warren Buffett. I sent this to him years ago when he would reply by mail, which he doesn't do any more.
The second is a portion of a letter from Camilla Parker-Bowles, who will one day be the queen of England. After she got engaged to Prince Charles back in 2005 there was a narrow window of a month or two when she might reply to a letter of congratulations. However, she was soon brought under the Royal protocols which meant no more personal replies to mail, no autographs, etc.
@JBK said:
Here is a recent acquisition. It is an envelope with a "free frank" signature of former First Lady Edith Bolling Wilson.
What especially interested me was the black border, which makes it a "mourning cover". I guessed that if it was her own husband's passing that she was mourning then this would be a very early use of her free frank signature, since only widowed First Ladies have the franking privilege.
It is hard to see, but the cover was postmarked on March 7, 1924. Through just a little research I found that she had been granted the franking privilege by Congress on March 4th, and the Postmaster General sent her a letter on March 5th to inform her. Assuming his letter reached her the next day on the 6th, then this envelope postmarked on March 7th was certainly one of the very first she sent using her signature instead of a postage stamp.
I actually found on the internet an auction house's archive page that showed that this exact envelope sold in 2004 for 2 1/2 times what I paid for it recently. That auction had a notation that it was sent only three days after Mrs. Wilson was granted the privilege, but the recent auction did not. (I will be sure to keep documentation with the cover so its significance won't be lost once again).
@JBK nice cover. When I was a teenager my next door neighbors were going to a Democratic campaign event. They told me that Rosalyn Carter would be there and asked if they should try to get her autograph for me. I typed up a quick envelope and gave it to them, asked them to ask her to autograph the upper right corner. Incredibly, she complied. Some time later (could have been right after or a couple years--don't remember now) I took it to the Post Office, and one of the nice clerks cancelled it for me. So this is a free frank from before she had free franking privileges. (I don't think she even has them today.)
@JBK said:
Here is a recent acquisition. It is an envelope with a "free frank" signature of former First Lady Edith Bolling Wilson.
What especially interested me was the black border, which makes it a "mourning cover". I guessed that if it was her own husband's passing that she was mourning then this would be a very early use of her free frank signature, since only widowed First Ladies have the franking privilege.
It is hard to see, but the cover was postmarked on March 7, 1924. Through just a little research I found that she had been granted the franking privilege by Congress on March 4th, and the Postmaster General sent her a letter on March 5th to inform her. Assuming his letter reached her the next day on the 6th, then this envelope postmarked on March 7th was certainly one of the very first she sent using her signature instead of a postage stamp.
I actually found on the internet an auction house's archive page that showed that this exact envelope sold in 2004 for 2 1/2 times what I paid for it recently. That auction had a notation that it was sent only three days after Mrs. Wilson was granted the privilege, but the recent auction did not. (I will be sure to keep documentation with the cover so its significance won't be lost once again).
@JBK nice cover. When I was a teenager my next door neighbors were going to a Democratic campaign event. They told me that Rosalyn Carter would be there and asked if they should try to get her autograph for me. I typed up a quick envelope and gave it to them, asked them to ask her to autograph the upper right corner. Incredibly, she complied. Some time later (could have been right after or a couple years--don't remember now) I took it to the Post Office, and one of the nice clerks cancelled it for me. So this is a free frank from before she had free franking privileges. (I don't think she even has them today.)
That was great thinking. She would only earn the franking privilege if she outlives Jimmy, so that is unusual for sure.
I tried for years to get franked envelopes with very mixed success, but I did get some nice ones along the way (GHW Bush, Gerald Ford, Lady Bird Johnson, Jack Kemp, etc.). A lot of people I wrote to did not understand what I wanted, and a few thought it was illegal. But I did get a bunch, either mailed or unused.
One funny story happened with former Rep. Alan West. I wrote to him soon after he had been elected. He sent a handwritten and hand-addressed note in reply. It was nice but generic congressional stationary since he did not have his own printed up yet. I looked closer at the envelope, and the free frank signature was hand signed! All those years trying to talk politicians into franking an envelope with mixed success, and Alan West did it on his own.
I send stuff out to be signed on occasion and if any amount of time elapses and the item is not expensive or irreplaceable I usually forget about what I've sent.
That's what happened here and one day one of my self-addressed envelopes shows up. There was a note inside telling me that I had requested this 7 years ago.
No explanation of the delay, but who cares.
James Hickey led the unit that captured Saddam Hussein.
When my son was born in 1988 I sent this photo out to Chuck Connors. He signed and returned it so I sent it out to Johnny Crawford. Five years later it was delivered to me with a note stating it had been misplaced and he apologized for the delay.
1951....I love The Mick. Nothing is ever boring when he is involved. Nice item. Were you fortunate enough to have met #7 in-person?
JBK...I've got plenty of those outstanding requests. Still hoping to go to the PO and find a SASE with a 28-cent stamp on it (or what ever the going rate was at the time soething was mailed out).
I have one Mantle. I bought it off QVC or HSN years ago when he was still alive and signing. It came with two different COAs. I hope at least one of them is legit.
I did get my Ted Williams baseball signed in person at a card show. I was miffed at the $35 signing fee.
@PipestonePete said:
1951....I love The Mick. Nothing is ever boring when he is involved. Nice item. Were you fortunate enough to have met #7 in-person?
JBK...I've got plenty of those outstanding requests. Still hoping to go to the PO and find a SASE with a 28-cent stamp on it (or what ever the going rate was at the time soething was mailed out).
In the same room at a signing ; never had the dough at the time he was signing back then.
This was all PSA/DNA certified prior to purchase and will head to Newport Beach for the Jumbo slab treatment. In addition to being a very sharp signature, the piece itself is in great shape, too, so it will probably be dual graded so that I can also slide it into the master set I am working on.
Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?
I posted this on the coin forum but I thought I'd post it here as well.
I picked this up on ebay. It is from an old collection if JFK memorabilia, but it is a good example of the excellent use of a First Day Cover for autograph collecting.
I recently bought several hundred assorted FDCs for about 10 cents each. I am going through them and trying to come up with fine suitable subjects for various people to sign. I'll post a few of my first successes below.
Senator Elizabeth Dole was the head of the Red Cross at one time.
Frank Gehry is one of the top architects in the current era.
Daniel Ellsberg leaked the Pentagon Papers during the Viet Nam war. (For some reason he didn't use my SASE and he folded the edges to make them fit in his envelope.)
There was a big legal battle and Justice Hugo Black wrote the Supreme Court opinion that allowed their publication.
A recent pickup thanks to being alerted to the Ebay auction by @PipestonePete (thanks again!) on a thread in the Coins Forum.
It is a privately made commemorative honoring US Mint engraver and sculptor Frank Gasparro and includes the four coins he designed.
I actually already had one of these but the one I just purchased is in better shape and cost 1/4 what I paid for the first one. (The total cost was about $10 over the melt value of the silver coins in the set).
I have this 1980 San Diego Sockers team photo. I’ve had it since the day I got all of these signatures at a game in 1980.
I would love to add Hugo Sanchez’s signature to this, as he was not at the game when all the others signed it. Any help getting Hugo signature on this would be much appreciated.
I did look up his name on an autograph collectors and the last entry shows he is/was head coach of Mexico's national soccer team, but no indication of any through the mail successes.
If it were mine there is no way I'd mail it to Mexico.
JBK, thank you for responding. I live in Southern California. I know Hugo has a foundation in San Diego. I tried the website info, which even had a phone number to call to I believe is Hugo’s brother, but no response. I even left a message that I would make a donation to his foundation. It will happen some day though, the photo looks incomplete without his signature at the bottom left 😎
A reply I was glad to receive recently: a WWII "JIM" (Japanese Invasion Money) banknote signed by George Shultz. (He served in the Pacific Theater during WWII.)
George Shultz is one of only two people to have served in four different cabinet posts. Most notably he was Sectetary of State and Secretary of the Treasury. He is a few months shy of his 100th birthday.
@JBK said:
A reply I was glad to receive recently: a WWII "JIM" (Japanese Invasion Money) banknote signed by George Shultz. (He served in the Pacific Theater during WWII.)
George Shultz is one of only two people to have served in four different cabinet posts. Most notably he was Sectetary of State and Secretary of the Treasury. He is a few months shy of his 100th birthday.
The signature looks like that of a very old person, which fits. Signatures do change quite a bit over time (I know mine has, but nobody seems interested in getting it.)
WWII Japanese Invasion Money issued for use in one of the countries Japan occupied during WWII, signed by Hershel W. Williams, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery on Iwo Jima on February 23, 1945.
My collection theme is autographed baseballs by athletes from all sports. It has to be a single signature per baseball.
Here is my list:
Baseball: Hank Aaron
Basketball: Michael Jordan
Football: Jim Brown
Boxing: Muhammad Ali
Soccer: Pele
Golf: Jack Nicklaus
Track: Usain Bolt
Swimming: Michael Phelps
MMA: George St. Pierre
I'm pursuing Roger Federer for Tennis but so far he only signs tennis balls.
@deciquio said:
My collection theme is autographed baseballs by athletes from all sports. It has to be a single signature per baseball.
Here is my list:
Baseball: Hank Aaron
Basketball: Michael Jordan
Football: Jim Brown
Boxing: Muhammad Ali
Soccer: Pele
Golf: Jack Nicklaus
Track: Usain Bolt
Swimming: Michael Phelps
MMA: George St. Pierre
I'm pursuing Roger Federer for Tennis but so far he only signs tennis balls.
I forget to add Hockey: Wayne Gretzky (I always forget him).
@deciquio said:
My collection theme is autographed baseballs by athletes from all sports. It has to be a single signature per baseball.
Here is my list:
Baseball: Hank Aaron
Basketball: Michael Jordan
Football: Jim Brown
Boxing: Muhammad Ali
Soccer: Pele
Golf: Jack Nicklaus
Track: Usain Bolt
Swimming: Michael Phelps
MMA: George St. Pierre
I'm pursuing Roger Federer for Tennis but so far he only signs tennis balls.
Comments
I bought a couple of storage units and these autographed baseballs were inside. I can't figure out who signed them? Anyone have any ideas??
Here is a Jimmy Carter warehouse receipt from his peanut farming and bonded warehouse days. Within 13 years of this being signed he would serve as governor of Georgia and then be elected president.
This is a new pickup for me and now I have two of them. I love these as he used what would turn out to be a rare form of his signature on them: "James E. Carter Jr."
Checks written from the warehouse account were usually signed "JE Carter, Jr."
In his political years he routinely signed as "Jimmy Carter" and in his post-presidential years at book signings he would sign as "J Carter".
In the internet age President Carter avoids the PC due to fears over getting hacked, so if he wanted to reply to people who wrote to him he commonly jotted his comment in the margin of either the writer's original letter or a photocopy of it, and those notes are usually signed "Jimmy C."
Here is a recent acquisition. It is an envelope with a "free frank" signature of former First Lady Edith Bolling Wilson.
What especially interested me was the black border, which makes it a "mourning cover". I guessed that if it was her own husband's passing that she was mourning then this would be a very early use of her free frank signature, since only widowed First Ladies have the franking privilege.
It is hard to see, but the cover was postmarked on March 7, 1924. Through just a little research I found that she had been granted the franking privilege by Congress on March 4th, and the Postmaster General sent her a letter on March 5th to inform her. Assuming his letter reached her the next day on the 6th, then this envelope postmarked on March 7th was certainly one of the very first she sent using her signature instead of a postage stamp.
I actually found on the internet an auction house's archive page that showed that this exact envelope sold in 2004 for 2 1/2 times what I paid for it recently. That auction had a notation that it was sent only three days after Mrs. Wilson was granted the privilege, but the recent auction did not. (I will be sure to keep documentation with the cover so its significance won't be lost once again).
Nice job in finding out the history and significance of this item. Doing the hunting/research is half of the fun.
My Mother used to send get will wishes to Actors and others and she got this in return this time. There is many others in my collection that she left me.
Excellent!
Very nice!
Great idea/hobby by your mother.
Steve Earle and The Dukes lastest release. Only 500 copies pressed on COAL/SMOKE colored vinyl and signed by Steve. I was lucky enough to see the band in concert last fall and meet Mr. Earle who signed a couple of CD liners for me.
An unplayed (it was still sealed when I mailed it to Middle Ear Studios for signing) vintage 1969 "ODESSA" album that the Brothers Gibb signed for me in the summer of 1994. This album has a velvet cover and I was a little concerned about how the signatures would turn out. Now, more than 25 years later they still look as good as new.
These two arrived today....
What's the story on that print. That's a cool one.
It's an 11" X 14" litho using the lyrics to one of Nesmith's tunes "Some of Shelly's Blues" written out in the design of a portrait of Mike featured on the cover of the Nesmith solo LP "Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash" that the song was included on.. Signed and numbered by the artist. Available on Mike's "Video Ranch" website for $20! (I begged, pleaded, and even tried bribery but couldn't convince them to have Nesmith sign it.)
The one thing you left out was threatening them.
They were able to ship it so it was not damaged? That's a tough size to ship.
Very well packaged. I ordered two of the lithos and each was in it's own archival sleeve with cardboard backing all packed up flat in a sturdy cardboard box. I also ordered two autobiographies by Nesmith which he sells for $17. I pretty much took care of some Christmas shopping early this year.
I was poking thru the "archives" today and I came across these.
I am posting them as a reminder to take advantage of opportunities when they exist.
The first is a quote signed by Warren Buffett. I sent this to him years ago when he would reply by mail, which he doesn't do any more.
The second is a portion of a letter from Camilla Parker-Bowles, who will one day be the queen of England. After she got engaged to Prince Charles back in 2005 there was a narrow window of a month or two when she might reply to a letter of congratulations. However, she was soon brought under the Royal protocols which meant no more personal replies to mail, no autographs, etc.
@JBK nice cover. When I was a teenager my next door neighbors were going to a Democratic campaign event. They told me that Rosalyn Carter would be there and asked if they should try to get her autograph for me. I typed up a quick envelope and gave it to them, asked them to ask her to autograph the upper right corner. Incredibly, she complied. Some time later (could have been right after or a couple years--don't remember now) I took it to the Post Office, and one of the nice clerks cancelled it for me. So this is a free frank from before she had free franking privileges. (I don't think she even has them today.)
He who knows he has enough is rich.
That was great thinking. She would only earn the franking privilege if she outlives Jimmy, so that is unusual for sure.
I tried for years to get franked envelopes with very mixed success, but I did get some nice ones along the way (GHW Bush, Gerald Ford, Lady Bird Johnson, Jack Kemp, etc.). A lot of people I wrote to did not understand what I wanted, and a few thought it was illegal. But I did get a bunch, either mailed or unused.
One funny story happened with former Rep. Alan West. I wrote to him soon after he had been elected. He sent a handwritten and hand-addressed note in reply. It was nice but generic congressional stationary since he did not have his own printed up yet. I looked closer at the envelope, and the free frank signature was hand signed! All those years trying to talk politicians into franking an envelope with mixed success, and Alan West did it on his own.
I tried unsuccessfully for decades to get a reply from Henry Kissinger.
Last October I saw a Kissinger letter on Ebay and bid seriously for it and won.
Then, less than four months later I got this in the mail - a letter to me from Dr. Kissinger. What timing...
I send stuff out to be signed on occasion and if any amount of time elapses and the item is not expensive or irreplaceable I usually forget about what I've sent.
That's what happened here and one day one of my self-addressed envelopes shows up. There was a note inside telling me that I had requested this 7 years ago.
No explanation of the delay, but who cares.
James Hickey led the unit that captured Saddam Hussein.
When my son was born in 1988 I sent this photo out to Chuck Connors. He signed and returned it so I sent it out to Johnny Crawford. Five years later it was delivered to me with a note stating it had been misplaced and he apologized for the delay.
Great item.
Five year delay. Ouch!
I like to say that my longest wait has been a CD cover I sent to Pat Benatar at a concert venue. It has been over 35 years and counting.
I’m boring, I know...
1963-73 Equitable Life Sports Hall of Fame - 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
1951....I love The Mick. Nothing is ever boring when he is involved. Nice item. Were you fortunate enough to have met #7 in-person?
JBK...I've got plenty of those outstanding requests. Still hoping to go to the PO and find a SASE with a 28-cent stamp on it (or what ever the going rate was at the time soething was mailed out).
I have one Mantle. I bought it off QVC or HSN years ago when he was still alive and signing. It came with two different COAs. I hope at least one of them is legit.
I did get my Ted Williams baseball signed in person at a card show. I was miffed at the $35 signing fee.
(Duplicate post)
(Duplicate post)
(Duplicate post)
(Duplicate post)
(Duplicate post)
(Duplicate post)
System went haywire - hopefully settled down now.
In the same room at a signing ; never had the dough at the time he was signing back then.
This was all PSA/DNA certified prior to purchase and will head to Newport Beach for the Jumbo slab treatment. In addition to being a very sharp signature, the piece itself is in great shape, too, so it will probably be dual graded so that I can also slide it into the master set I am working on.
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 posted this on the coin forum but I thought I'd post it here as well.
I picked this up on ebay. It is from an old collection if JFK memorabilia, but it is a good example of the excellent use of a First Day Cover for autograph collecting.
I recently bought several hundred assorted FDCs for about 10 cents each. I am going through them and trying to come up with fine suitable subjects for various people to sign. I'll post a few of my first successes below.
Senator Elizabeth Dole was the head of the Red Cross at one time.
Frank Gehry is one of the top architects in the current era.
Daniel Ellsberg leaked the Pentagon Papers during the Viet Nam war. (For some reason he didn't use my SASE and he folded the edges to make them fit in his envelope.)
There was a big legal battle and Justice Hugo Black wrote the Supreme Court opinion that allowed their publication.
A recent pickup thanks to being alerted to the Ebay auction by @PipestonePete (thanks again!) on a thread in the Coins Forum.
It is a privately made commemorative honoring US Mint engraver and sculptor Frank Gasparro and includes the four coins he designed.
I actually already had one of these but the one I just purchased is in better shape and cost 1/4 what I paid for the first one. (The total cost was about $10 over the melt value of the silver coins in the set).
I have this 1980 San Diego Sockers team photo. I’ve had it since the day I got all of these signatures at a game in 1980.
I would love to add Hugo Sanchez’s signature to this, as he was not at the game when all the others signed it. Any help getting Hugo signature on this would be much appreciated.
Thank you
Not sure how we can help you get it signed...
I did look up his name on an autograph collectors and the last entry shows he is/was head coach of Mexico's national soccer team, but no indication of any through the mail successes.
If it were mine there is no way I'd mail it to Mexico.
JBK, thank you for responding. I live in Southern California. I know Hugo has a foundation in San Diego. I tried the website info, which even had a phone number to call to I believe is Hugo’s brother, but no response. I even left a message that I would make a donation to his foundation. It will happen some day though, the photo looks incomplete without his signature at the bottom left 😎
That's great news, I would say there is still hope, then. I'd try to get it signed in person.
Star Tiger shows this address as a possibility:
c/o Federacion De Futbol Assn
CP 06600 Col Juarez
Mexico City 6 DF
Mexico
That's where I saw it, too. But I think that address was added in 2007 and no one has posted a result.
I'd definitely write first.
A reply I was glad to receive recently: a WWII "JIM" (Japanese Invasion Money) banknote signed by George Shultz. (He served in the Pacific Theater during WWII.)
George Shultz is one of only two people to have served in four different cabinet posts. Most notably he was Sectetary of State and Secretary of the Treasury. He is a few months shy of his 100th birthday.
The signature looks like that of a very old person, which fits. Signatures do change quite a bit over time (I know mine has, but nobody seems interested in getting it.)
Couple of Scottish football HOFers
Personal Collection | Willie Woodburn | Legion of Doom
WWII Japanese Invasion Money issued for use in one of the countries Japan occupied during WWII, signed by Hershel W. Williams, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery on Iwo Jima on February 23, 1945.
My collection theme is autographed baseballs by athletes from all sports. It has to be a single signature per baseball.
Here is my list:
Baseball: Hank Aaron
Basketball: Michael Jordan
Football: Jim Brown
Boxing: Muhammad Ali
Soccer: Pele
Golf: Jack Nicklaus
Track: Usain Bolt
Swimming: Michael Phelps
MMA: George St. Pierre
I'm pursuing Roger Federer for Tennis but so far he only signs tennis balls.
I forget to add Hockey: Wayne Gretzky (I always forget him).
But Michael Jordan did play baseball.
Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/987963/1951-wheaties-premium-photos-set-registry#latest