October Legends and Americana Ending November 14th
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/15/2015
It goes without saying that team signed balls dating from before the mid 1920's are as rare as hen's teeth. This ball, signed by the 1910 edition of the Cincinnati Reds, is quite outstanding for its uniqueness. While not packed with superstars, many of the players found on this ball are found in the famed 1909-1911 T-206 tobacco card set, which enables one to put a face with the names found on the ball. Led by future Washington Senators owner and Hall of Famer Clark Griffith, the Reds managed a fifth place finish with a record of just under .500. One of the pitchers on the staff was "Sleepy Bill" Burns who nine years later would return to Cincinnati, not as a ball player but as a gambler arranging the fix of the 1919 World Series. Among the notable signatures found on this remarkable ball is manager Clark Griffith along with Frank Roth, Dick Egan, Dick Hoblitzell, Bill Burns, Larry McLean. The Spalding Official National League ball shows much use and a coat of shellac has darkened with age giving its surface a bronzed glow. As can be expected on a ball this old, the black fountain pen signatures rate from Clark Griffith's
7/10 to the nearly illegible. Still, this is a rare opportunity to obtain one of the oldest team signed baseballs in the hobby. Letter of Authenticity from JSA.