Lot # 767: 1939 World Champion New York Yankees Team-Signed Baseball Centennial Oversized Envelope with DiMaggio & Dickey

Baseball was celebrating its 100th Anniversary, and the New York Yankees were headed for a then record fourth consecutive World Series championship, when this oversized 1939 Baseball Centennial envelope was issued by the Hall of Fame. Sized at 11" x 7-1/2", this celebratory souvenir is decorated with a Baseball Centennial logo at upper-left, and four Centennial postage stamps at upper-right. The stamps are cancelled with a Cooperstown postmark dated June 12, 1939. This date was the first day of issue for this commemorative postage stamp type. Typed at lower-right, is the name of the addressee, Mr. Clifton A. Smith, of Concord, New Hampshire. Accompanying is a manila envelope that's a bit larger than the Centennial envelope. This manila mailer is addressed by Smith, to Mr. Robert A. Rolfe, known best to fans as "Red". Postmarked dated June 18, 1939, this manila envelope was obviously employed by Smith to send the Centennial envelope to Rolfe, care of the New York Yankees.

A total of (22) prized signatures adorn the front of the Centennial envelope. Noted among these period-signed autographs, are seven Hall of Famers. Half of the signers passed away prior to the year 1980, including three of the Hall of Famers, and chances of finding another example of this oversized envelope with the same set of signatures, are incalculably small. The Yankees would break their own record for consecutive championships in 1953, when they won their fifth straight Fall Classic, but that in no way diminishes the historic significance of this four-time champion 1936-1939 Yankees unit, which starred a young Joe DiMaggio. The manila envelope shows considerable signs of attrition, while the Centennial envelope is very nicely preserved. Best of all, the (22) signatures are all distinct examples.

Arranged in three columns, the signatures are: Bill Dickey (HOF, d.1993), Joe DiMaggio (HOF, d.1999), "Babe" Dahlgren (d.1996), Johnny Schulte (coach, d.1978), Art Fletcher (coach, d.1950), Art Jorgens (d.1980), "Red" Ruffing (HOF, d.1986), Johnny Murphy (d.1970), "Bump" Hadley (d.1963), Monte "Hoot" Pearson (d.1978), George Selkirk (d.1987), "Red" Rolfe (d.1969), "Lefty" Gomez (HOF, d.1989), Frank Crosetti (d.2002), Tommy Henrich (d.2009), Bill Knickerbocker (d.1963), "Spud" Chandler (d.1990), Joe McCarthy (HOF, manager, d.1978), Earle Combs (HOF, coach, d.1976), Joe Gordon (HOF, d.1978), Atley Donald (d.1992), Oral Hildebrand (d.1977).

Auction LOA from James Spence/JSA.