Ultra-Rare Grover Cleveland Alexander Signed Black and White HOF Plaque Postcard - PSA/DNA Authentic

• Sold For: $78,870
• Year: -
• Auction: 2017 February
• Lot #: 1
• Auction Category: Autographed Baseballs/Flats/Photos

Ah, the thrill of the hunt. For our consignor—and for any future ambitious collector looking to do the same—attempting to complete the 50-signature set of b/w HOF plaque postcards often feels like an endless quest, a tireless exercise in futility, all due to one man: Old Pete. Following his 1939 induction at Cooperstown, Alexander"s final years were plagued by alcoholism and destitution. He entered several sanitariums, to no avail, and his health rapidly declined after a 1945 heart attack and 1947 injuries sustained from an epileptic seizure. Plus he suffered cancer on his right ear. All this is to say that the long-ago legend had little time or interest in signing plaque postcards prior to his death in November 1950. "I"m in the Hall of Fame...and I"m proud to be there," Alexander said in 1944, "but I can"t eat the Hall of Fame." Sad but true, he became something of a forgotten man to the public at large until his legacy was resurrected by Ronald Reagan in the 1952 biopic The Winning Team. As a result, it was Alexander alone who long thwarted the aspirations of our completist consignor. Until, that is, miraculously in 2009, Old Pete"s elusive signed postcard (seen here) surfaced at auction. And thus, like Camelot"s Knights of the Round Table, the ultimate quest for perfection became reality. Only one other Alexander signed HOF postcard has since hit the auction block, and both of these known examples sold in the realm of $30,000. We anticipate even greater heights now. The 1944-45 Albertype Type I showcases a strikingly vivid "9" signature, with unobtrusive additional ink strokes below. There are a few light creases on the right side, along with modest corner wear from mounting tabs. This item has a reserve (estimated value $25,000-$35,000).