Fall 2020 - Item detail
Extremely Rare Grover Cleveland Alexander Signed Black-and-White (Albertype) Hall of Fame Postcard - PSA/DNA
- Sold For:
- $60,000
- Year:
- 1953
- Auction:
- 2020 Fall
- Lot #:
- 1837
- Category:
- Autographed Baseballs/Flats/Photos
Hall of Fame black-and-white (Albertype) postcard of Grover Alexander, signed by Alexander on the front. PSA/DNA has encapsulated the card and certified the signature as "Authentic." Alexander's signature, "G. C. Alexander" has been boldly scripted in blue fountain pen along the base of the card and grades "9." In the realm of signed Hall of Fame black-and-white postcards, three players stand at the head of the class in terms of rarity: Grover Alexander, Babe Ruth, and Jesse Burkett. Those three are so elusive that PSA considers them "optional" when registering a signed set of Hall of Fame black-and-white postcards on its registry. Needless to say this is the first Grover Alexander signed Hall of Fame black-and-white postcard we have offered, and we have seen only one other. That second example, which is also encapsulated and certified by PSA/DNA, made its most recent auction appearance in 2017, when it realized $78,870.
The rarity of Grover Alexander signed Hall of Fame black-and-white postcards is easy to understand. Alexander was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1938 and took the dais alongside the other eleven then-living Hall of Famers at the dedication of the Hall of Fame in 1939. However, it was not until five years later, in 1944, that the Hall of Fame began issuing its black-and-white Hall of Fame postcard set. By that time Alexander's life was one marked by destitution. Alexander suffered from epilepsy and alcoholism and after his retirement, those afflictions only worsened. He was often in and out of sanitariums and employment was spotty at best. His wife divorced him a second time in 1941, and in 1946 he suffered a heart attack. A year later he fell during an epileptic seizure and then developed cancer on his right ear, which resulted in the ear having to be amputated. Those health issues, along with his constant moving because he could not afford a permanent home, made it almost impossible for most autograph collectors to track him down during the 1940s. All hopes ended in 1950, when Alexander passed away at the age of 63.
Because Alexander had only a short six-year window in which to sign his Hall of Fame black-and-white postcard and he was not accessible to collectors during that time, it is easily the rarest of all Alexander signed items. The offering of this card most likely represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for any collector attempting to compile a complete signed set of Hall of Fame black-and-white postcards. The card (3.5 x 5.5 inches) displays a light vertical crease extending from border to border in the center, and light corner wear. In Very Good condition overall. Opening Bid $20,000. Estimate $50,000+.
The rarity of Grover Alexander signed Hall of Fame black-and-white postcards is easy to understand. Alexander was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1938 and took the dais alongside the other eleven then-living Hall of Famers at the dedication of the Hall of Fame in 1939. However, it was not until five years later, in 1944, that the Hall of Fame began issuing its black-and-white Hall of Fame postcard set. By that time Alexander's life was one marked by destitution. Alexander suffered from epilepsy and alcoholism and after his retirement, those afflictions only worsened. He was often in and out of sanitariums and employment was spotty at best. His wife divorced him a second time in 1941, and in 1946 he suffered a heart attack. A year later he fell during an epileptic seizure and then developed cancer on his right ear, which resulted in the ear having to be amputated. Those health issues, along with his constant moving because he could not afford a permanent home, made it almost impossible for most autograph collectors to track him down during the 1940s. All hopes ended in 1950, when Alexander passed away at the age of 63.
Because Alexander had only a short six-year window in which to sign his Hall of Fame black-and-white postcard and he was not accessible to collectors during that time, it is easily the rarest of all Alexander signed items. The offering of this card most likely represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for any collector attempting to compile a complete signed set of Hall of Fame black-and-white postcards. The card (3.5 x 5.5 inches) displays a light vertical crease extending from border to border in the center, and light corner wear. In Very Good condition overall. Opening Bid $20,000. Estimate $50,000+.