By David G. Firestone
One of the reasons I love this hobby is how many unusual things get sold and bought in it. I’ve seen things over the years that are stunning, and I have had the opportunity to buy and sell some of them myself. Autographs are something that might not seem as unusual, but things get sold that most people can not seem to wrap their arms around. I’ve done so many signings over the years and I’ve seen everything from video game controllers to kicking tees autographed by players.
One of the more “mundane” things that are a hot bed for autographs are checks. When he was in his prime, Babe Ruth checks were often worth more for their signatures than they ever were to cash. Autographed checks are a very popular item for collectors. This example is from Lloyd “Lil Poison” Waner.
It was signed on October 16, 1972 to the City of Oklahoma City Water Service for $25.57. This check has been cashed, and the stamp did not go through Waner’s signature.
The same can be said for this Max Carey check from 1953. Carey had to cash a check for $40 on October 15, 1953, and signed this check both on the front:
and back:
“Cut signatures” are when a signature has been cut out of a larger item and mounted onto a card. This is a Babe Herman example from Upper Deck SP in 2007. Floyd Caves “Babe” Herman signed a check with FC Herman, and it was cut from the check and mounted in the card. It has no flaws in the signature and looks really good
Leo “Gabby” Hartnett is one of the greatest Chicago Cub players of all time. A Hall of Famer who earned a place in baseball lore with his “Homer in the Gloamin’” in 1938, Hartnett has forever earned his place in Chicago baseball history. Hartnett signed an item, and this signature was cut and mounted to a card. It has not aged as well it could have, but the signature is still in great shape.
Moving away from sports, the political arena is a hotbed for autographed items. This example is a cut signature from Columbus Delano, who was the 11th Secretary of the Interior, under Ulysses S. Grant. He was a big supporter of Reservations for Native Americans, and helped create the San Carlos Apache reservation in Arizona. His tenure was cut short due to allegations of corruption. After leaving the Presidential Cabinet, he became the president of the First National Bank of Mount Vernon in Ohio. He was also a trustee of Kenyon College. This is a cut signature from his time in Mount Vernon. It has been mounted in a small case.
After helping the Allies storm the Beach in Normandy, and help destroy the Third Reich, Dwight Eisenhower went on to get elected to two terms as President of the United States. He dealt with the Space Race, the Cold War, the creation of the Interstate Highway System, and the Korean War, amongst other things. On February 7, 1954, his personal physician, Howard McCrum Snyder was in the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC on his birthday, and Eisenhower sent his a very humorous letter to cheer him up, and initialed it at the bottom.
For a civilian to get into the Senate Gallery in Washington, they need a pass signed by their Senator. On May 10, 1957, Mrs. Everett Hutchinson had such a pass signed for her, by then Senate Majority Leader and future President Lyndon Baines Johnson!
From 1830 to 1837, William IV was King of England. He was the Duke of Clarence, assuming the throne when King George IV died without an heir to the Throne. He discouraged pomp and circumstance, and was the oldest person to ever assume the British Throne. This is a huge cut signature from King William IV, and though the ink has faded a bit, it is still in great shape.
The question of who is the greatest President of the United States has one simple answer, Abraham Lincoln. He was the President in the darkest period of the country, oversaw the Civil War, and helped reunite the United States of America as a country after that dark period. He would give his life for his country after that conflict. When he was a lawyer in Springfield Illinois, he wrote a legal document, which these two small words “9+10” and “$10” were cut from.
Union College in Schenectady, New York has a football tradition that extends back to the late 1800’s. This is a set of notes from 1895, written by Captain Beckwith, who was the captain of the team. It has a series of hand gestures that would be used to communicate the play from the coach to the quarterback. For a document that is as old as it is, it is in great shape.
As I like to do, I saved my favorite item for last. When you talk football history, there is no name that comes up that is as respected and revered as Vince Lombardi. Widely considered to be the greatest coach in football history, his legacy lives in the Lombardi Trophy, which is awarded to the winner of the Super Bowl each season. This is a play that was drawn by Lombardi in 1957, during his time as an assistant coach with the New York Giants under Jim Lee Howell and opposite Tom Landry. I will let the item speak for itself.
Tag: lyndon baines johnson
Vintage Item Spotlight-Lyndon Baines Johnson Bill Pen…Part 2
By David G. Firestone
As you may remember, a few weeks ago, we discussed a Lyndon Baines Johnson Esterbrook pen, used to sign S. 510 in 1965, well we will take a look at another pen used by LBJ to sign legislation, but this pen is completely different.
On August 1, 1944, The Warsaw Uprising took place. The Polish Resistance Home Army launched Operation Tempest to combat the Nazi occupation, and to establish sovereignty before the Soviet Red Army arrived in Poland. For 63 days, the Home Army fought against the Nazis. Tragically, due to a lack of outside support, and lack of supplies, the Warsaw Uprising failed.
20 Years later, on July 31, 1964, President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed Proclamation 3603, which states:
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Whereas August 1, 1964, marks the twentieth anniversary of the historic uprising of Polish patriots to liberate their capital, the City of Warsaw from the Nazi occupation; and
Whereas the bravery of the Polish people demonstrated their determination to achieve liberty and independence; and
Whereas the American people regard the action of the Polish patriots in the Warsaw uprising as a great manifestation of bravery and devotion to home and country; and
Whereas this historic effort should serve to inspire people everywhere to rededicate themselves to the cause of freedom and justice:
Now, Therefore, I, Lyndon B. Johnson, President of the United States of America, do hereby designate August 1, 1961, as Warsaw Uprising Day.
I invite the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities, and I urge them to mark this event as an exceptional demonstration of man’s courage and devotion in the long and continuing struggle for human freedom.
In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States of America to be affixed.
DONE at the City of Washington this thirty-first day of July in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and sixty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and eighty-ninth.
LYNDON B. JOHNSON
By the President:
DEAN RUSK,
Secretary of State.
For that event, Lyndon Johnson used this pen to sign the proclamation.
It is an Eversharp 45, which was the predecease to the Parker 45, which became a staple for most political bill signer pens, presidential and governor alike. It has been mounted in a shadowbox with the pen box, a picture of Johnson signing the proclamation, a portrait of Johnson,
and a plaque stating when the pen was used.
This is an example of an item that has changed the United States. This pen, which is made of plastic, metal, and felt was used by a President to sign a proclamation that did in fact change our world forever. While the Warsaw Uprising was in the end, a failure, it has a legacy left that tells the story of those who stood and fought for what they believed in.
Vintage Item Spotlight: Lyndon Baines Johnson Bill Pen…Part 1
By David G. Firestone
It dawns on me I should use this blog more often. So what I’m going to do is every other week, I will take a vintage item, and analyze it up close. The Driver Suit Blog will be for racing items, this will be for everything else.
For the first part of this new blog, we will take a look at a Lyndon Baines Johnson bill pen, used to sign a legislative bill in 1965.
The pen is an Esterbrook crystal fountain pen, which, in addition to LBJ was used by John F. Kennedy, and Dwight D. Eisenhower. This particular style was used for a number of high profile bill signings, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1963. This particular pen was used to sign S. 510, “An act to extend and otherwise amend certain expiring provisions of the Public Health Service Act to community health services, and for other purposes.”
The pen is clear, with THE PRESIDENT THE WHITE HOUSE engraved on the side.
The steel fountain pen tip has ink remnants from that signing still present on the pen over 49 years later, which adds to its mystique. This 49 year old ink on this 49 year old pen changed the United States of America and affected all of the citizens within it.
Pens such as these are highly desired by collectors…but how do collectors get them? Here is a simplified version of how a bill signing works in the United States: The House and Senate pass the bill, and the bill goes to the President who signs the bill. In a media ceremony, the President signs a number of copies of the bill, each with a different pen, and then gives the pen to individuals who helped pass the bill, Senators, Representatives, and private citizens alike. These pens are treasured by the recipients, but often times, after the recipients pass away, or if they need some extra money, they will sell them to collectors.
Many examples of “bill signer” pens exist on eBay and other collector sites where it is unclear if it was used to sign legislation. Those pens that actually have signed legislation command a much higher price, and are very highly desired by collectors. Benjamin Franklin once said “The pen is mightier than the sword,” and this pen is a perfect example of that.
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