1944 Dummy Hoy and Dummy Taylor Handwritten Letters with Outstanding Baseball Content

Sold For:

$588

Year:

1944

Auction:

2009 Spring

Lot #:

987

Category:

Autographed Baseballs/Flats/Photos

Collection of two handwritten letters, signed, respectfully, by Dummy Hoy and Dummy Taylor, the two most successful deaf players in Major League history. Each of these letters, addressed to a "Mr. Rose" and dated on the same day, March, 24, 1945, is remarkable with regard to its baseball content. Apparently, Hoy and Taylor were each asked by Rose to pick the top players at each position that they had played against, and both graciously complied. Hoy's top team consists of Keefe and Clarkson on the mound, Buck Ewing at catcher, Fred Tenney at first, Bid McPhee at second, Jimmy Collins at third, Honus Wagner at short, Mike Kelly, Bill Lange, and Ty Cobb in the outfield, and Charles Comiskey as manager. Taylor, whose career was for the most part later than Hoy's (the two actually played against each other in one game in 1902), chose Christy Mathewson, Kid Nichols, Walter Johnson, and Grover Alexander as his pitchers, Roger Bresnahan, Frank Bowerman, Johnny Kling, Bill Dickey, and Jimmy Archer behind the plate, Hal Chase at first, Eddie Collins and Billy Gilbert at second, Honus Wagner at short, Art Devlin at third, George Browne, Tris Speaker, Frank Schulte, Jimmy Sheckard, and Ginger Beaumont in the outfield, and John McGraw as manager. Hoy's letter (7.25 x 10.5 inches), penned in black ink on one side of a single unlined sheet, simply lists his all-time team and is unsigned (Ex-Mt, with normal mailing folds); separately Hoy included a 5.5 x 3.25-inch unlined card (Nr-Mt) upon which he has signed his name, "William E. Hoy" in black ink along the top border of the card, below which he has provided a year-by-year listing of each team he played with. Hoy was eighty-three years old at the time of writing this letter and signed career biography card. Also accompanied by the original mailing envelope (Ex), postmarked March 24, 1945. Taylor's three-page letter (on three separate sheets), which is scripted in blue ink on "Illinois School for the Deaf" letterhead, also responds to the question of why he was called "Dummy": "I have been deaf all my life. I was the only one one the team who could not hear or talk." The letter (6 x 9.5 inches) displays normal mailing folds and is in Excellent to Mint condition. LOA from James Spence/JSA. Reserve $300. Estimate $500+. SOLD FOR $588