1952 Topps AUTOGRAPHED set in pictures, not for the faint of heart!
RipublicaninMass
Posts: 10,051 ✭✭✭
When I started this project, I had the notion that it would most likely be impossible to even get halfway to completion. After speaking with TPG's, they confirmed that a signed complete basic set would just not be possible. "The high numbers are too scare", "too many obscure players", and "too many deaths in the 50s", were just some of the comments I received when I inquired at TPGs about a completed signed set. Also, I have heard it drove one guy mad (Hi Rube) trying to complete the impossible. I had tried once, quite a while back, and managed to find 181/407 unique examples. After speaking with a few advanced collector who start from scratch, mind you some bought large partial sets, halfway is about right for getting ready to give. I ended up selling, and decided I would not longer pursue the impossible. Mind you this was BEFORE someone came along and tried a 33 Goudey set! (kudos Jason)
I caught the bug again after talking with come of my previous contacts about signed 52s. That being said, I would never have been able to even come as close as I have to accomplishing this goal without the kindness and generosity of fellow collectors. Some who have passed on, their cards have found a good home, until the time comes when the cards will undoubtedly move on again. The most amazing parts about this set for me was learning about each players life and death, analyzing their signing habits, as well as hearing other collectors stories how they were obtained. I also was able to get a few through the mail, very few are still living, and I think we both enjoyed the correspondence.
I was able to find a group of 381/407 different that hold sold almost 20 years back, but this was before third party grading. I have not been able to locate the buyer of this set, and I would be curious how many would be holdered by PSA, SGC, or JSA.
I thought I would share a few items here, and some stories.
What can be said for the #1 card? Many collectors feel it is overvalued, because it is the #1 card, and it's condition "sensitiveness" sparked dealers to ask more for lower grade copies. However, Topps chose the Pafko for a reason! He was a 4 time consecutive all star and was "at the wall" in 1951 when "The shot heard round the world" was fired into the heart of Brooklyn fans. This card continues to be about $100 even in PSA 1 shape.
Although Pafko passed in 2013, he didn't answer his mail after early 2010. I believe at that point he was suffering from dementia and was moved to a nursing home. I sent 3 cards to him throughout the years and none ever came back!
I will probably reiterate this, but I was told way back when by dealers and collectors, "never have an expensive card autographed, it will reduce the value". Boy were they wrong!
I present card #1, a lowly PSA 3..however it is a pop of 1 with none higher with either back, of 21 total graded
Comments
Wow, Ted!!! Way to start things off with a bang.
Awesome card and great backstory to go along with your set.
Congrats on the Pafko she's a beauty.
Edited to add: The blue sig really pops on this card.
Donato
Donato's Complete US Type Set ---- Donato's Dansco 7070 Modified Type Set ---- Donato's Basic U.S. Coin Design Set
Successful transactions: Shrub68 (Jim), MWallace (Mike)
@divecchia Thanks for the kind words Donato. I have actually tried to abandon sharpie sigs, unless they are the highest graded, in lieu of vintage ballpoint sigs.
Card #2 is often overshadowed by the lofy prices of the Pafko. A 5 time all star and 2 time batting champ Runnels passed suddenly of a Stoke in 1991 on the golf course. This was long before the masses started with "TTM" autographs, and although he is not impossible to find, finding that signed 52 isn't exactly easy.
Ted, I completely understand. Vintage ballpoint sigs make a lot more sense for vintage set like this.
Is the Runnels card signed "Pete" or am I seeing things? Did he go by Pete?
Just curious,
Donato
Donato's Complete US Type Set ---- Donato's Dansco 7070 Modified Type Set ---- Donato's Basic U.S. Coin Design Set
Successful transactions: Shrub68 (Jim), MWallace (Mike)
@divecchia Yes he goes by Pete, I forgot to add that to my notes. His father was named Pete, and apparently they just called him "Little Pete". I can attest with my wife, when I wanted to name my son after me, she wasn't having it! So maybe we can speculate that is what happened in The mysterious case of James Edward Runnels!
Today brings one of the saddest and most difficult autographs to obtain in the 1952 topps set. With graded examples fetching over 1,000 Hank Thompson is a true rarity. Many of the Negro league players are widely collected, and rarely come to market. Thompson serving a 3-4 year prison sentence in 1963, and ultimately passing from a seizure in 1969, make him a true rarity in all respects. He began his MLB career just 3 short months after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier, make him the report 3rd blak player in MLB behnd Larry Doby. However Hank was the first black player to play in both AL and NL leagues.
3 Hank Thompson
Good stuff. Hopefully you'll continue to add some info about each card. Interested to see which ones are tough and why. Excited to see this thread unwind.
Great stuff Ted
Bowman Baseball -1948-1955
Fleer Baseball-1923, 1959-2007
Al
Great thread. Looking forward to seeing many more.
http://www.unisquare.com/store/brick/
Ralph
Great looking Hank Thompson card and sig.
Looks like he was really happy to be a baseball player.
Donato
Donato's Complete US Type Set ---- Donato's Dansco 7070 Modified Type Set ---- Donato's Basic U.S. Coin Design Set
Successful transactions: Shrub68 (Jim), MWallace (Mike)
@mrpeanut39 I will certainly try to add info about each player! I just started and I'm ready two days behind so I'm playing catch up today
@bishop Thanks Al, many of these players are a pop 1 or pop 0. I'm sure you can relate to trying to find the needle in the haystack!
@divecchia Thompson had numerous run ins with the law, so I am sure getting to play a game and get paid for it was a true joy!
The next fellow Don Lenhardt is a relatively easy signature to find,. Many of the players who disappeared out of baseball after retirement are tough to find, not the case here. He stuck around baseball 40 years after he retired as a scout for the Red Sox, and pased at the ripe old age of 91 in 2014. He was a great responder through the mail, and though I have been looking for an older playing days sig of his, this will have to do for the time being.
4 Don Lenhardt
I sold a Signed Larry Jansen to one of his children a while back on ebay. For years collectors debated why he was holding up "2" and "5", they speculated it could have been the year "52" backwards. Recently, someone ha unearthed a letter from Jansen saying it was because his 7th child was born in 1952! A great responder through the mail make his easier to find. A cool horizontal pose, with a great backstory
Next up brings yet another great TTM responder. Hatton was affiliated with Baseball until the late 1980s, and was readily available to sign through the mail. That being said, you'd still have to find, and send, a 1952 topps card to have one in your collection! Passing in 2013, a fews years past the TTM craze post 2004 or so, make him a bit easier to find. Though I have been looking for a playing days signature of his for a while now, this has to do for now.
This exercise, in searching for playing days signatures, has taught me it is actually extremely rare to find even the easier signers with period ballpoint signatures. The odds of someone bringing a 1952 topps card to a game, and getting it signed I guess is a shot in the dark. I have been lucky enough to find just one or two period ttm collections from the early 50s. I get a little smile when I see period signatures of players who are still signing. Of course I am ecstatic to find the tough signers in a group, but even an upgrade at this point is a win!
6 Grady Hatton
Another gentleman who hung around long after his playing days was "Twig". In fact he spent much more time in the minors than the majors. Having played in 600 MLB games, and over 2200 in the minors, as well as being readliy available through the mail for a number of years, "Twig is rather easily found. He is actually still signing, however to locate a nice example, with a playing days signature, is far less uncommon.
7 Wayne Terwillger
Best thread on the forum. Please keep going.
Stunning so far and looking forward to the updates!
Wayne Terwillger has a great looking signature, unlike the signers of today.
Keep them coming Ted.
Donato
Donato's Complete US Type Set ---- Donato's Dansco 7070 Modified Type Set ---- Donato's Basic U.S. Coin Design Set
Successful transactions: Shrub68 (Jim), MWallace (Mike)
@MrHockey Thanks, encouragement accepted!
@LarkinCollector I'll keep going util I run out of cards
@divecchia Sadly, his autograph is so poor today, I feel a little sad when I see it, knowing the inevitable is coming. Many of these players I had written to over the years, as their health declined, so did their signatures. I specifically remember 2 TTM unsigned returns. George Crowe and Don Johnson passed the week I wrote to them.
Fred Marsh, only played a few years in the bigs, and then apparently became a postal carrier. Many of the players who weren't superstars, hometown heroes, and left baseball were forgotten about until the TTM craze started in 2004 or so. I realize websites like sportscollectors, and meiselman (sp) lists had been around, but in my experience after 2004 people really caught on to writing to players. I always like getting aletter back thanking me for remembering the old timers, and including a few bucks for coffee when they never asked for a dime. Many times the money was returned!
A nice horizontal pose, the highest graded with either back, and including a gorgeous, probably playing days, ballpoint signature
7 Fred Marsh
The next card is one of the really obscure players, but highly desirable. A journeyman, bouncing from team to team and from the majors to the minors, he only had one Topps card. He has the distinguished history of being called up by the Yankees in 1951 for their mid summer classic, and eventually their third straight pennant, with Mickey Mantle! Hogue was a former amateur boxer, and baseball player, who was convinced by HOF Max Carey to sign on a minor league team.
A 1951 World Series win makes the 52 Yankees a very popular signed team set. Hogue, playing just 170 mlb games, passing in 1987, and leaving baseball in 1952, make him a very tough autograph. Here is the highest graded red back, with only psa 3 being the highest black back
9 Bobby Hogue
Batting next is NOT Mr. Mint, it is merely a man who shares the same name, "Flip" or the "Hebrew Hammer" (post Hank Greenberg) as he was affectionately called, throughout his long tenure of nine years solely with the Cleveland Indians. In 1953 he missed winning the triple crown...on the LAST day of the season by ONE percentage point in batting average to Mickey Vernon.
"People think Mickey Mantle is the toughest hitter in the league, but I can usually get him out if I don't make a mistake. The real toughest clutch hitter is Berra. As you change speeds and move around, Berra moves right with you. Rosen does the same thing, but fortunately he's playing third behind me so I don't have to pitch to him. Believe me, the two best clutch hitters in the game are Berra and Rosen. Most of us pitchers wish to hell they'd switch to golf." - HOF'er Early Wynn.
A great TTM responder until his passing in 2015, I present the cards tied for the highest graded with a Sharpie signature. In this case I forewent an earlier Ballpoint signature, to go with a tie for the higest graded that still rpesents well.
10 Al Rosen
I love the Bobby Hogue signature.
Donato
Donato's Complete US Type Set ---- Donato's Dansco 7070 Modified Type Set ---- Donato's Basic U.S. Coin Design Set
Successful transactions: Shrub68 (Jim), MWallace (Mike)
@divecchia Thanks, Hogue certainly had a style all his own!
Next up, a man who needs little introduction. A Yankee throughout his career of almost 15 years , as well as being a broadcaster for almost 40, Scooter and his catch phrase "Holy Cow" were very familiar. We can't forget those Money Store commercials! Well deserving of his HOF nod, with 5x All star games, 7 world series wins, and an MVP in 1950, n 1994 he got the call to the hall. A great fielder, runner, and a huge personality make his an extremely desirable autograph.
Ty Cobb named Rizzuto and Stan Musial as "two of the few modern ball players who could hold their own among old timers."
And LONG BEFORE the film Goodfellas came out, Yankees manager Casey Stengel had famously dismissed Rizzuto during that Brooklyn Dodgers tryout in 1935 when Stengel was managing that team, advising him to "go (home and) get a shoeshine box."
Apparently Phil proved Cobb right, and Stengel wrong!
Find a nice, vintage ballpoint signature of Phil is very tough, and only 11 graded even though he did attend shows and was very popular for many years. One can expect to pay a few hundred bucks even for a rough card with a later in life signature.
11 Phil Rizzuto
A long time coach for the Dodgers during the Alton and early Lasorda years, I can't really find much on our next subject. According to the TTM websites he wasn't very responsive, in fact I see just a small amount of returns ever. It is hard to tell whether he just didn't sign, or was long forgotten about once his 200 game MLB career. I found found him rather tough to locate, only seeing a few examples through the years
12 Monty Basgall
Another guy who passed early, 1986, well before the TTM craze took off, is our next batter. A journeyman who was most likely forgotten by autograph seekers, he was out of baseball in 1954. His auto is pretty difficult to find on a gum card, and to have a decent ballpoint signature, even tougher!
edited: I just realized this card is double signed
Amazing collection ...................as others have mentioned.................a very enjoyable read and the best Thread
going by far ! This is why I read the Psa message board !
I love the Blue Sharpie sigs as they seem to Pop out right at you ! I find it really neat how the signed signatures really match up with the card signatures ! Keep them coming !
Robbie
1963 Fleer
Lou Brock Master Set
@Robby I believe Topps took the signature from their contract, or had them sign a paper to photocopy into the signature box. Sometimes players would be approached a the ball park and rush signatures, so to have the really nice vintage ballpoint is that much tougher!
Our next subject is one of the most difficult low numbers to find. A power hitter, 7x all star and mvp in 1947, he was out of baseball by 1960, and probably forgotten. At the time, he was well respected as a plyer, and was traded even swap for Billy Herman! His untimely passed in just 1966 make it very tough to find him on anything, let alone a gumcard. This is the highest graded, of just 4 copies, and it has been signed in the name box.
14 Bob Elliott
Ted
So Bob Elliot never originally had a auto in the box ......................it was just left blank ????? I'm not
totally familiar with all the 1952 Topps nuances ! Are there others in the set with no sigs ??? I do not
want you to get ahead of your self .........was just wondering if that is the case !
Robbie
1963 Fleer
Lou Brock Master Set
@robby he did have an auto in the box, however it was custom for some youngsters to erase the box, and have the player sign in it
Interesting, I've never noticed that on vintage cards, but it's pretty cool!
The next subject holds a special place in the heart of Red Sox Nation. Even though he had brief stints on other teams, since his debut in 1942, pretty much until his passing in 2012, he was a always a Red Sock. (sic) He finally earned his ring after all those years with the Sox world series win in 2004.
Pesky Pole from wikipedia: In honor of Pesky, the right field foul pole at Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox, is known as Pesky's Pole, or the Pesky Pole. Former teammate and Sox broadcaster Mel Parnell named the pole after Pesky. The story goes that Pesky won a game for Parnell in 1948 with a home run down the short (302 feet/92m) right field line, just around the pole. Being that Pesky was a contact hitter who hit only 17 home runs—six of them at Fenway Park—in 4,745 at bats in the major leagues, it's quite possible that the home runs he hit there landed in close proximity to the pole. Research, however, shows that Pesky hit just one home run in a game pitched by Parnell, a two-run shot in the first inning of a game against Detroit played on June 11, 1950
According to some of the ttm websites, he stopped responding in 2005 to mail shortly after his wife's passing, giving ample time for autograph seekers to get their request. There seems to have been a big spike after 2002 in TTM requests for all players. As popular as he is, I would expect to see more of his 52 topps cards signed, but there arent too many out there.
"John Dennis began the first edition of the Dennis & Callahan Show on WEEI-FM in Boston after his death by saying that it had felt like every New Englander's grandfather had died when Pesky died"
Tied for the higest graded, in most likely a vintage ballpoint
17 Johnny Pesky
A transplant from Massachusetts to the Brooklyn Dodger's, I am sure he was happy to play against the Yankees! Our next player has a very unique anecdote, apparently he suggested that all of the Brooklyn Bums wear #42 when snipers were said to want to kill Jackie Robinson for breaking the color barrier.
A great responder through the mail up until he was unable to write around 2009, and passing in 2010, his autograph is easier to find.
16 Gene Hermanski
Ted,
Great job with this thread! Love the Pesky sig. It looks very similar to the sig printed on the card.
Donato
Donato's Complete US Type Set ---- Donato's Dansco 7070 Modified Type Set ---- Donato's Basic U.S. Coin Design Set
Successful transactions: Shrub68 (Jim), MWallace (Mike)
@divecchia Leads me to believe it was close to his playing days!
The next subject is a fan favorite of the Cleveland Indians, despite missing some time for the war, he played with the tribe from 1941- 1957! 5x all star, and 3X world series champ, he was a "Varitek" of his day, giving pitcher confidence. In His career he caught 3 non-nos and caught for 7 HOF pitchers!
Cleveland Indian Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller was quoted as saying,"He was one of the best defensive catchers in baseball history. Jim called a good game. We disagreed rarely. Jim was very good at keeping pitchers calm." Another Hall of Fame pitcher, Bob Lemon said of Hegan, "When I first started pitching, I used to shake him off sometimes. Invariably, they'd get a hit. So I stopped shaking him off."
His love of baseball prompted him to stick around as a coach, and scout with the Yankees until his untimely passing in 1984, well before autograph seekers decided to get their cards signed. Somewhat difficult to obtain, in a nice vintage ballpoint, tied for the highest grade, with a comparable red back
17 Jim Hegan
The next subject is a pretty tough one to find. Although he was a scout after his active career ended in 1954, I think he was long forgotten by autograph fans. You would have had to bring this card to have signed, or have had the forethought to look up his address, and mail it to him. Passing in 1981 make him one of the more difficult, but not overly tough names. You are probably looking at a couple hundred for a nice example
18 Merrill Combs
Batting next is one of the really obscure players. He was out of baseball by 1953 and didn't exactly have an illustrious career. I can't find much about him, but it is pretty rare to have a non-personalized, vintage ballpoint signature.
19 Johnny Bucha
The next batter is one of the tough ones in the set, and don't let his date of death fool you! Apparently Loes was a son of Greek immigrants, who's name he felt would not be able to be pronounced, or remembered so he changed it to Loes. He is one of the missing cards from the 52 set, and is the LONE holdout on the 53 set. Rumors are that he did not want to sign either card after 1983, as Topps was only offering $500. A Brooklyn Dodger who, was rather popular and mentioned many times in Carl Erskine's book Tales from the Dodgers Dugout
20 Billy Loes
Coming up next is a card I feel is always undervalued. Although he was a good signed, and passed in 2001, that is just slightly before the ttm craze really took off. A 5x all star and 2x batting champ, he was no slouch. Interestingly he never made too much played baseball, but was well versed in growing Marijuana. He was raided twice, and did 18 months in 1988 for having 400 plants. He was very reclusive after that, and his card is usually found rather cheaply, considering he didnt sign much after that debacle. A very presentable card, with a bold sharpie auto
21 Ferris Fain
Are you saying we have to wait about 290 more days before we see the signed Mantle?
Great so far!
Currency Wants: Any note with serial number 00000731
@tnspro assuming I'm able to post one a day!
c'mon ted!
why make them wait?
my friends and i would love to see yours!!!
Patience is a virtue, one I had to learn early on with this adventure. All the money in the world couldn't buy these signed cards at once, as you would really have to know, where, when and how to find them. Many of the old timers would only trade for difficult cards they needed. One made a mistake and said he'd never be able to afford the Mantle, so I convinced him to give up on the set. However, I needed to search high and low and fill his want lists from other years, to trade for his cards.
Our next batter had a very famous brother, who out shined him on the field and at the bat, but he little professor should not be under estimated! Despite missing a few years for the war, he was a Red Sock from 1940-1953! A 7x all star and stolen base leader in 1950, he was a force at the bat!
"Writer David Halberstam described Dom as "probably the most underrated player of his day"
With a gorgeous vintage ballpoint auto,
22 Dom Dimaggio
agreed. it certainly does take alot more than money to be able to track one down.
and for the record, you do have an authentic 52 signed mantle?
and didnt you have this set listed for sale not too long ago?
eta:
wow! you encouraged, convinced and talked a fellow collector into making a self-admitted "mistake" in hopes he'd give up on his set (which he apparently did) vs helping him out?
very interesting.
no further interest in seeing your mantle, if ya actually have it.
Agreed, those interested in finding signed cards can contact "Junior Mint" and he can ask right here on the message boards, that's where he "found" the one which sold for a staggering 275k! When you are a fledgling in the business, your contacts are very limited. It takes time, bonding, and rapport to find many of these signed card collectors.
My private set was never offered publicly for sale, but an offer was made many years ago. From the my very first post "I had tried once, quite a while back, and managed to find 181/407 unique examples", and swore I'd never touch the set again! Then I caught the bug again. However, unless another staggering offer comes out of the woodwork, I'm hanging onto it.
I did list a large starter set of duplicates, as they tend to pile up.
Yes, admitting to me that he had "given up" on the set was "mistake", as it rattled around in my head for years. Until the time he had exhausted his 52 duplicates I needed, and he still needed more cards to finish his signed set run. All I could do was ask, nobody held a gun to his head. This when when signed Mantles were only 10K!
Now pretty please, with sugar on top, stop pissing in the thread
you continue to prove that you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about w the "junior mint" card or how any of it came to fruition. by all means, continue to futher speculate and make a fool of yourself in your own thread.
here's some back drop for those following this thread and some real "pissing" from your glass house along w you doing a lil name calling, as well...
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/974348/the-crisser-told-you-so-phase-2-of-the-bubble-burst-to-happen-soon#latest
however, i was simply inquiring on items and statements you openly and freely provided us.
but nice spin attempt of your freudian slip of encouragement and swooping in on the mistake of a fellow collector.
apparently other than your wallet, it took your convincing tongue to encourage him to give up. good for you.
you're right, though. this thread isnt for the faint of heart. as if the self-righteous title wasnt enough already.
so by all means, please proceed w/ displaying the candy you convinced from a baby...
(came back and hit the edit button, included the other thread at east coast time from the west coast just for you)
Some really nice looking vintage auto's, Ted. The Dom DiMaggio sig is my favorite thus far.
I'm really starting to appreciate the look of the older vintage ballpoint autos and how great they look on the cards.
Thanks for sharing.
Donato
Donato's Complete US Type Set ---- Donato's Dansco 7070 Modified Type Set ---- Donato's Basic U.S. Coin Design Set
Successful transactions: Shrub68 (Jim), MWallace (Mike)
few of us found this pretty interesting as well...
All the money in the world couldn't buy these signed cards at once...
but then
unless another staggering offer comes out of the woodwork, I'm hanging onto it.
@divecchia Thanks Donato, words of encouragement are always appreciated!
Someone could probably be able to pick up a big chunk of the set in one fell swoop. However, "all the money in the world" couldn't buy all 407 cards all together, as a complete signed set doesn't exist, at least in graded form. I will also reiterate that even the top authenticators don't believe an entire signed set is possible.
Our next subject is rather tough to find, more so not personalized. My guess is after he retired from baseball in 1976, he did respond through the mail, but very often personalized the cards. In my opinion, this was not an attempt to thwart people from reselling his card, he genuinely enjoyed the correspondence, and wanted to add his own touch to each card. Passing in 1984, and trying to find a card without the personalization is a real task. If you see one, buy it!
Most notably Goodman is known for Norman Rockwell's painting The Rookie. Goodman can be seen on the far right covering his mouth.
Although it is labeled as "authentic" it doesn't necessarily mean the card has been altered. Before PSA started adding the card grade, and subsequently the dual grade, they would simply holder the card as "authentic".
I have seen many personalized examples, I finally came across a psa 3, but I wasn't thrilled with the signature. Recently, I had seen this one, and just had to keep this vintage ballpoint.
23 Billy Goodman
Our next batter was a literal giant in his time, and played for the Homestead grays as well as a favorite of the Indians . At 6'4" and 240 lbs he was a force behind the plate tying the Negro league in HR and leading in RBI's in his first year. His Monstrous shots were know as "Easter Eggs"
"During his rookie season, he also hit the longest home run in the history of Cleveland's Municipal Stadium, a 477-foot blast over the auxiliary scoreboard in right field; the only other player to match that feat was Mickey Mantle, who did it in 1960."
" baseball writer and statistician Bill James rated Easter as the second-best first baseman in the history of the Negro leagues, behind only Buck Leonard. He described Easter as "an amiable, fun-loving man who gambled, wasn't 100% honest, and had a temper", with "shoulders that crossed three lanes of traffic", but also claimed that "if you could clone him and bring him back, you'd have the greatest power hitter in baseball today, if not ever."
Sadly, he was killed in just 1979 while carrying 35k in payroll deposits to the bank making his autograph scarce, while his legacy, death, and tenure as a Negro Leaguer make it quite desirable. Although it looks like the previous pen ran out of ink, any signature of his will fit the bill!
24 Luke Easter
Up next is a journeyman who through his 14 or so years in pro ball played with 6 different teams. According to sources he is alive and still signing! A vintage signature is always tough to find, Groth however is not too difficult to find.
25 Johnny Groth
The Next batter was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1973. Irvin was also a mentor to Willie Mays when he first came to the Giants in 1951, where the became the first all black outfield with Hank Thompson. A great responder through the mail to his fans, and a wildly popular player make his autographs rather plentiful, while tracking down an older signature can be a little more difficult.
26 Monte Irvin
The NL "Rookie" of the year in 1950 is our next player. He had played in the Negro Leagues since 1942, but his first year in the MLB was 1950. It appears there was always some question about his age, some saying born in 1922, but recent sources say 1917. A 2x stolen base leader, he was finished in the majors by 1954. Passing in just 2001, before the "TTM craze really took off, and being a widely collected player, make him a very desirable autograph.
27 Sam Jethroe