Opening Day Auction Closing May 9th
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/10/2015
In the summer of 1925 word came from out west that a scrappy Italian kid named Lazzeri was tearing up the Pacific Coast League. By the time season ended the kid had hit a phenomenal 60 home runs while batting .355. There was a problem though - no team wanted to take a chance on Lazzeri because he was afflicted with epilepsy. The Yankees sent a battery of scouts to watch him play and were ultimately convince he would fit right in with Ruth, Gehrig and Combs. This check represents the first installment on Lazzeri's $50,000 purchase price. The 9" x 3 1/4" check is drawn on the American League Base Ball Club of New York and is payable for $10,000. Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert has signed in bold black fountain pen (10/10) and also countersigned by Yankees treasurer Ed Barrow, also in black pen (10/10 with a small stray ink mark between the "o" and "w"). The Salt Lake President Frank Lane endorsed the reverse. The check has the usual bank cancellation perforations, none of which affects the signatures. The reverse of the check details its issuance: "First payment on deal for release of player Lazzere from Salt Lake Club to New York Club". In other words, this was the down payment for not only an iconic Yankee, but also a future Hall of Famer. Encapsulated and graded AUTHENTIC by PSA/DNA.