This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 6/22/2018
If you could only own one piece of autographed baseball memorabilia, anything you want, you'd really need to put this piece on your short list. Keep in mind, Mile High Card Company has sold a fully hand-written Babe Ruth letter and a baseball signed by Babe Ruth and Al Capone, two truly rare and amazing items. But this ... this is almost beyond words. Not only does this cachet contain the names of the greatest icons ever to walk the diamond, it was signed when they were gathered together to definitively make baseball the true "Great American Pastime." Following the creation of the World Series and the rise of what would become a New York Yankees dynasty, baseball's popularity was at an all-time high. In 1936, a committee was created to recognize and honor players that helped give rise to the sport. The first five men chosen; Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson, were considered to be the very best in baseball history, with an annual selection process yielding 21 more over the three years that followed. If additions were to be made each year, it was decided that a museum was needed to properly honor their achievements with an annual ceremony to welcome the new inductees. The official opening of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum came on June 12th, 1939 in Cooperstown, New York, recognized birthplace of baseball. The 11 surviving members, including newly enshrined George Sisler and Eddie Collins, attended the event and were the first to see their sculpted busts immortalized into the exclusive club. Presented is a first day cover that honors the opening of the baseball Hall of Fame, postmarked June 12th, 1939 at exactly 9:00 AM and signed by the 11 surviving members that entered the hallowed hall on that day, Washington Senators owner Clark Griffith, whose day in the sun would come just 7 years later, and James Farley, the 53rd Postmaster General of the United States of America. Surrounding the four stamp plate block that honors the 100th Anniversary of the game's inception are the greatest names in baseball history, each leaving a clean mark and capped off with one of the most stunning, deep blue fountain pen signatures of Babe Ruth that we've ever seen. Advanced autograph collectors have plenty of experience with signatures of these players and can immediately lecture about the signing habits of each, but to see them stacked one on top of the next like a baseball historians fantasy lineup borders on surreal. The way the piece is formatted, it's as if Postmaster Farley went first, signing across his embossed title, with Grover Cleveland Alexander taking the clean area above Farley. Passed over to "The Big Train," Walter Johnson felt he needed more space to deliver an ample signature and turned the paper sideways, starting a "train" of signatures that concludes with "The Bambino" as if the other legends are yielding to the top dog. Of course, that's merely speculation, but one thing is for sure; each legend was on his best behavior, delivering the sharpest signature possible. Even Cy Young, notorious for his erratic, haphazard mark, manages to come through with one of the absolute finest examples known. It's simply incredible, and although the grade of PSA/DNA 9 MINT confirms its status as the finest example known, you still have to be left wondering why it's not a perfect 10. We think it should be, don't you? Also included is a black and white snapshot of 10 of the members (captioned on the reverse) and a notarized letter tracing the lineage of the piece, which was originally gifted by Postmaster Farley to his Assistant Postmaster General, John A. Brennan, who passed it down to his daughter Madeline, who then gave it to her son, Richard. If the game of baseball could be summed up on one simple piece of paper, this does the trick! LOA from PSA/DNA Graded MINT 9!