Category: Autograph

The Sigurd Berg Collection: Autograph Collection Down to a Science

When I was 9 years old, I bought a 1959 Hank Aaron All-Star card #561 at a flea market for three dollars. I had this idea that I would mail it to Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium and ask “The Hammer” if he would autograph it for me. I included a very polite letter and a self-addressed stamped envelope. Aaron was by no means my favorite player but he had just passed the Babe as the all-time home run king so he was the biggest name in baseball. I figured he would get it in a few days, sign it, and mail it back. Maybe two weeks total (did I mention I was 9 years old?). Two weeks went by … nothing. Then it became two months … still nothing. After the third month, I’d given up on it and moved on. As it so happens, eight months after I sent the card, I had mail. It was my Hank Aaron card with a black marker signature across the image! Many of you probably tried this at one time. In the 1940s and 50s, Sigurd Berg did it all the time, and he had it down to a science. Cranking out autograph requests on a massive scale, the Sigurd Berg collection now stands as a testimonial to autograph hunting as an art form.

You’ve Got Mail! 

The Sigurd Berg approach to autograph collecting was simple; arm yourself with note cards, envelopes and stamps and write to everyone! Not only did he write to the greatest baseball players of his time, he wrote to athletes of all sports. He wrote to Olympians. He wrote to coaches. There are even rumors that he wrote to scientists, entertainers, politicians, inventors, anyone he thought might sign an autograph for him. I’m sure plenty of people never responded, but all it cost him was some paper and a pair of postage stamps. Berg would send out a note card with a request for an autograph to add to his collection, placing a typed dotted line and a title, something along the lines of “Cy Young- Star Baseball Pitcher.” More often than not, the autograph he received was a bold, clean signature as the signer was able to oblige at their convenience, not having to rush through the autograph to get to the next one as usually happens with personal appearances. Virtually every autograph is of at least NM/MT quality with many of the really high-prized pieces assessed at MINT or GEM MINT. Berg would even format the return envelope the same way, adding his return address somewhere out of the way to make the signature the focal point of the piece but also ensure its safe return. Quite often, the signer would sign that as well, giving Berg a very shrewd “two-fer.”  The daily trip to the mailbox to mark that day’s haul became a source of adventure and excitement, not knowing if he scored a beautiful signature of Golf Hall of Famer Julius Boros, Olympic gold medalist Jesse Owens, legendary college basketball coach Adolph Rupp or Baseball Hall of Famer Zack Wheat; maybe even all four. Sometimes it was just the envelope that came back signed but not the note card. Some envelopes likely ended up “lost” in the mail as the signature of a Jimmie Foxx or Charles Lindbergh would be exposed for the world to see. But enough of them found their way home, and most are truly spectacular!

Mile High Card Company Offers the Sigurd Berg Collection in the March Catalog Auction. 

Over 100 lots are dedicated to the Sigurd Berg Collection, led by a wonderful PSA/DNA 9 MINT example of Babe Ruth. There are several pieces that rank among the finest autographs known, with PSA/DNA 10 GEM MINT autographs of Grover Cleveland Alexander, Tris Speaker and Nellie Fox and PSA/DNA 9 MINT signatures of Ty Cobb, Dazzy Vance, Nap Lajoie, Cy Young and Honus Wagner. There is a wide variety of autographs from heroes of various sports, including Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Pop Warner, Helen Wills Moody, George Halas, James Jefferies, Gene Tunney, Jesse Owens, Althea Gibson and Jack Dempsey. A stunning Jack Nicklaus signature, signed shortly after defeating Arnold Palmer at the 1962 U. S. Open for his first career victory, heads up a large selection of golfers. If you’re a vintage autograph collector, you’ll be amazed at the wide variety of hard to find signatures, all authenticated by PSA/DNA and delivered with NM/MT to GEM MINT quality.

Jackie Robinson: A Man For All Time

Jackie Robinson Signed Ball

William Shakespeare once said, “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” It can be said that Brooklyn Dodgers infielder Jackie Robinson experienced all three. While Robinson’s career numbers don’t place him in the company of a Ruth, Gehrig or Cobb, his contribution to the history of baseball, as well as that of American society, makes him one of the most important figures of the 20th century. Baseball has always been considered an American institution, one that holds sacred its storied traditions and doesn’t take kindly to change. And with racial segregation dominating the climate of the time, it was a bold and daring move for Dodgers owner Branch Rickey to choose that moment to sign two black players, Robinson and pitcher Johnny Wright, and assign them to the class AAA Montreal Royals. Robinson quickly displayed the kind of superior talent that was major league material, but was that enough?

Why Jackie Robinson?

1947 I'm Rooting For Jackie Robinson Pin White Background PSA 7 NM

The answer, quite definitively, was no. There were black players in the Negro League with more talent and far more extensive accomplishments, but Rickey knew that performance alone wouldn’t break a color barrier that had been in place for over 60 years. If there was going to be any chance of success, the man chosen to integrate baseball would have to have impeccable credentials off the field as well as on the diamond with the temperament to absorb the wrangling of racist hatred and abuse while armed with nothing more than a smile and his ability to play the game. Jackie was that man. A multi-sport star athlete at UCLA who served as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army, Robinson was educated, well-spoken, and an honorably discharged Army officer. He was a man of integrity and, most importantly, was willing stand up for a cause he believed in. His message was clear – “I’m not concerned with your liking or disliking me… All I ask is that you respect me as a human being.”

 

The Post-Robinson Era of Baseball 

Jackie Robinson Signed Dodgers Photograph PSA/DNA AuthenticStarting his major league career at the advanced age of 28, Robinson played only ten seasons from 1947 – 1956, all of them for the Brooklyn Dodgers. During that time, the Dodgers played in six World Series and Robinson was selected to play in six All-Star games. His career marked the beginning of the “post long-ball” era that saw the strategy of raw power give way to a more balanced attack that included speed and superior base running. Robinson was one of only two players during his career to accumulate at least 125

Leaf Jackie Robinson SGC 84

steals while registering a slugging percentage over  .425. More importantly, Robinson’s career made possible the rise of fellow teammates Don Newcombe, Jim Gilliam, Joe Black and Roy Campanella as well as baseball legends Hank Aaron and Willie Mays and those who would follow.

The Finest Known Jackie Robinson Single-Signed Baseball Comes to MHCC December Auction

It has to be seen to be believed! When this ball arrived in the MHCC office, we were amazed at how incredibly clean and bold the signature projects, virtually perfect and easily the best known to exist. Sporting the customary “Best Wishes” greeting and side panel placement, a trademark of the Hall of Famer, the ball has been giving a triple authentication from JSA, SGC and PSA/DNA, the latter two grading the ball at MINT 9. Simply put, it is virtual perfection! The ball will be featured in the Mile High Card Company catalog auction, beginning on Monday, Nov 20th and concluding on Thursday, Dec 7th.

1946 Jackie Robinson Type I Original News PhotoJackie Robinson Signed Check