1933 Bismarck Team-Signed Postcard with Satchel Paige PSA/DNA NM-MT 8

Sold For:

$1,170

Year:

1933

Auction:

2020 Spring

Lot #:

1539

Category:

Autographed Baseballs/Flats/Photos

Postcard signed in blue fountain pen on the reverse by 15 members of the local Bismarck, North Dakota, semi-pro team, including legendary Negro League pitcher Satchel Paige and his batterymate Quincy Trouppe. PSA/DNA has encapsulated the card and graded the signatures NM-MT 8 overall. Both Paige and Trouppe, as well as a few other players, have added their respective positions next to their names. The team name and year, "Bismarck Baseball Club/1933" are written in blue fountain pen above the signatures. Bismarck's local club in 1933 was quite unusual for the time, because it was integrated. Team owner and local auto dealer Neill Churchill was determined to have the best semi-pro team in the country, even if it meant that he had to recruit a number of Negro League players to make that dream a reality. Over the next two years, the Bismarck roster featured many Negro League stars, including Hilton Smith, Double Duty Radcliffe, Red Haley, and Barney Morris, as well as top white players from out of state. The influx of talent made Bismarck a national powerhouse and in 1935 the club was crowned National Semi-Pro Champions. Despite the integration of the team and the implied progressive spirit of Bismarck, the black players, including Satchel Paige and his new bride, spent their nights sleeping in unheated rail cars at the edge of town. They were not welcome to sleep in Bismarck. The postcard (5.5 x 3.5 inches), which pictures Bismarck's Grand Pacific Hotel on the front, features an additional blue-ink signature on the front. Moderate-to-heavy creasing is evident along the right side of the card. In Very Good condition overall. Pre-certified by Steve Grad and Brian Sobrero/Beckett Authentication Services. Reserve $300. Estimate (open).