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Autograph related ephemera - rejection letters
burghman
Posts: 1,090 ✭✭✭✭
Some of you longer timers might recall one of my first ever posts about my Father's "paper baseballs" (see https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/996479/autograph-team-sets-advice). He also kept some rejection letters - here's a letter from the Braves, Red Sox, and both the American and National Leagues.
Found it interesting that both Leagues used the word "impossible" ![]()
Can't imagine there's much use for these but thought they were interesting enough to share with the group.



Jim
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Those are great. I save rejection letters. Heck, sometimes I even write to request one in cases where I know a celebrity sends them out.
Here's a recent rejection letter from actor Henry Winkler, which he signed.
That’s hilarious - he crossed off both “hello” and his closing to replace them with “Hi” and his sig
Jim
I wrote a letter to Bud Selig in 1995 In regard to the 94-95 baseball strike. I did get a response with his graph. I assume he signed it, but you never know.
Bud Selig was great at responding to letters while commissioner. I received a few really good ones and the responses were not just form letters, and they were legitimately signed.
I wrote to baseball player Reggie Smith years ago, asking for an autograph. My letter was returned with a response written on it, angrily chastising me for bothering him!
He should of been appreciative that someone remembered him.
True. He was a good player. But he sure ripped me up one side and down the other for writing to him.
In an odd sort of way that stands out as a memorable response for a rejection. Beats the generic rejection tone.
really digging this thread
often wondered what the graphing atmosphere was like many decades ago
apparently it was a feeding frenzy back then too
the one from Henry Winkler is sheer greatness -- exactly how i would envision the Fonz rejecting someone
Priscilla Presley sent this polite rejection note recently. She had been signing through the mail for a time but apparently is taking a break.
Baseball's Sparky Anderson was a generous signer for many years, but in his last few years he would send out a simple but polite rejection message printed on an index card. Beneath the text he handsigned "Sparky".
The weird thing is, Reggie Smith had one of the most beautiful signatures in baseball history. He certainly at some point in his life worked on it.