In addition to the Black Sox papers that mysteriously resurfaced recently, another piece of baseball history is heading to auction.
Memory Lane, Inc, a Tustin, Calif. sports collectible enterprise, will be offering Christy Mathewson‘s rookie contract, dated 1900.
“Vintage baseball contracts have become more sought after in recent years by collectors, and that demand has resulted in escalating values for the items. The record for player- signed contracts is the $996,000 price realized for Babe Ruth’s 1919 rookie-year contract, which sold in June of 2005. Collectors will be watching the sale of this Mathewson contract closely to see where it ranks among the highest- priced contracts sold to date.”
According to a press release, bids on the Mathewson contract are currently being accepted online (www.memorylaneinc.com) or by phone at 877-606-LANE. The auction closes at 8 p.m. (Eastern) on Dec. 8.
The Amazon Report: Among the more highly-regarded non-fiction books on Mathewson are:
- The Player: Christy Mathewson, Baseball, and the American Century
- Pitching in a Pinch: or Baseball from the Inside (Bison Book reprint)
- Matty: An American Hero: Christy Mathewson of the New York Giants
Additionally, one of the books adjudged the best pieces of baseball fiction is Eric Rolfe Greenberg’s Matty: An American Hero: Christy Mathewson of the New York Giants
is available on Amazon.com,
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This is NOT a genuine signed contract, this is merely a file copy signed and filled out by a team secretary…Mathewson’s signature appears NOWHERE on the document
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