Lot # 813: Unique 1980 Kirby Puckett Handwritten Kansas City Royals Player Information Card - Earliest Known Example with Full JSA LOA

Earliest Known Kirby Puckett Baseball Related Signature! Incredible one-of-a-kind 1980 Kirby Puckett handwritten signature placed on a Kansas City Royals Player Information Card. From the estate of longtime MLB and Kansas City scout Art Stewart, this dated 8-6-80 tryout card measures 5-7/8 x 4" and is penned by the future Minnesota Twins Hall of Famer in blue ink with complete details regarding Puckett's address, contact/family information, height/weight and desired position (3rd base!). Most interesting is that Puckett checked "No" regarding questions if he had ever been drafted or signed a professional baseball contract. Kansas City didn't sign him. Per Wikipedia: "An All-American baseball player at Calumet High School, Puckett received little attention from baseball scouts, and he took a job installing carpeting in new cars for the Ford Motor Company. After being laid off by Ford, Puckett attended an open tryout hosted by the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB), where he received a college baseball scholarship from Bradley University." Suffering from a lack of playing time at Bradley, Puckett transferred to Junior College Triton (Illinois), caught the eye of the Minnesota Twins assistant farm director...and the rest is history! A museum worthy piece that will serve as the foundation of any advanced Kirby Puckett collection. Full LOA from James Spence/JSA.