This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 7/12/2019
At a time when the great Ty Cobb was known as a fiery competitor who did whatever it took to win, even if that meant bending the rules and making a few enemies along the way, Hall of Fame pitcher Christy Mathewson dominated with a smile and a tip of the cap, a gentleman through and through. Baseball had a widespread reputation of fostering crass incivility and coarse hooliganism in the early 1900s but Mathewson, a Bucknell University graduate, brought a measure of decorum and sophistication, not to mention a repertoire of pitches the likes have which had never been seen. After a quick call-up at the close of the 1900 season, Mathewson became the anchor of the New York pitching staff at age 20. It took a few years to get his wildness under control, and then "Big Six" reeled off 12 consecutive seasons of 20 or more wins, compiling a 327-133 record with a 2.00 ERA and 64 shutouts from 1903-14. Shortly after his finishing up his baseball career, Mathewson enlisted in the United States Army for World War I and was accidentally exposed to mustard gas during a chemical training exercise in France, making him susceptible to infections and he subsequently developed tuberculosis. His death in 1925 at the age of 45 leaves an inadequate supply of examples of his harmonious signature compared to the demand. This featured handwritten check from Adirondack National Bank is dated December 18th, 1924, less than a year before his passing. Mathewson has signed the bottom of the check-in traditional black fountain pen, a wonderfully crisp penning that is virtually perfect and earns a grade of MINT 9 by PSA/DNA. The check is well-preserved with various cancellation hole punches that in no way impede upon Mathewson’s autograph. For any advanced autograph collector, this will be one of the main pieces in your collection.