Fall 2021 - Item detail
1921 Grover Alexander Endorsed Chicago Cubs Payroll Check - PSA/DNA
- Sold For:
- $4,800
- Year:
- 1921
- Auction:
- 2021 Fall
- Lot #:
- 1588
- Category:
- Autographed Baseballs/Flats/Photos
Chicago Cubs payroll check, dated April 1, 1921, issued to and endorsed by Hall of Fame pitcher Grover Alexander. PSA/DNA has encapsulated the check and certified the signature as "Authentic." The check, drawn on the Lake View State Bank of Chicago, Illinois, is made out in the amount of $500.00. Signed by team president William L. Veeck (father of Hall of Fame owner Bill Veeck) in the lower right corner. Endorsed by "GC. Alexander" in blue ink on the reverse. Also inscribed is "For deposit only" directly above Alexander's signature. This is an exceptionally early Hall of Famer payroll check, and it comes with a unique provenance. This lot originates from the extraordinary collection of a longtime Chicago Cubs executive, Eldred "Salty" Saltwell, which is consigned to this auction by his family. The collection, which includes a remarkable array of contracts, checks, and other related documents and mementos, will be presented over a series of auctions and will offer publicly for the first time many significant items spanning decades of Chicago baseball.
Alexander joined the Cubs in 1918, a time when he was considered the best pitcher in baseball after having led the National League in wins, ERA, and strikeouts in each of the three previous seasons. After missing nearly the entire 1918 season due to military service, Alexander returned to form in 1919, finishing the year with 16 wins and league-leading marks in ERA (1.72) and shutouts (9). Although Alexander was earning a top salary for the 1920 season, (Walter Johnson was also making $12,000 that year), it turned out to be bargain for the Cubs. Alexander once again accomplished the pitching equivalent of the "Triple Crown" by leading the National League in wins (27), ERA (1.91), and strikeouts (173). It was the fourth and final time he would do so, and no pitcher has ever equaled that feat. Few pitchers in the history of the game entered the Hall of Fame with a better resume than Grover Alexander. Between the years 1911 and 1927, he won twenty or more games nine times, including three thirty-win seasons, and finished his career with 373 wins, which ties him with Christy Mathewson for fourth place on the all-time list. Despite all of these accomplishments, he is still best remembered today for his dramatic strikeout of Tony Lazzeri with two outs and the bases loaded in Game 7 of the 1926 World Series, which basically won the Series for the Cardinals. Alexander retired in 1931 and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1938. The check (8.25 x 3.75 inches), which has normal bank cancellation stamps and holes, displays three vertical folds and moderate creasing. In Good condition overall. Reserve $1,000.
Alexander joined the Cubs in 1918, a time when he was considered the best pitcher in baseball after having led the National League in wins, ERA, and strikeouts in each of the three previous seasons. After missing nearly the entire 1918 season due to military service, Alexander returned to form in 1919, finishing the year with 16 wins and league-leading marks in ERA (1.72) and shutouts (9). Although Alexander was earning a top salary for the 1920 season, (Walter Johnson was also making $12,000 that year), it turned out to be bargain for the Cubs. Alexander once again accomplished the pitching equivalent of the "Triple Crown" by leading the National League in wins (27), ERA (1.91), and strikeouts (173). It was the fourth and final time he would do so, and no pitcher has ever equaled that feat. Few pitchers in the history of the game entered the Hall of Fame with a better resume than Grover Alexander. Between the years 1911 and 1927, he won twenty or more games nine times, including three thirty-win seasons, and finished his career with 373 wins, which ties him with Christy Mathewson for fourth place on the all-time list. Despite all of these accomplishments, he is still best remembered today for his dramatic strikeout of Tony Lazzeri with two outs and the bases loaded in Game 7 of the 1926 World Series, which basically won the Series for the Cardinals. Alexander retired in 1931 and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1938. The check (8.25 x 3.75 inches), which has normal bank cancellation stamps and holes, displays three vertical folds and moderate creasing. In Good condition overall. Reserve $1,000.