Collecting government postcards signed by athletes began in the 1920s, but really hit its’ heyday as far as popularity from the 1940s – 1960s. Autograph collectors could write a letter to their favorite ballplayer and instead of enclosing a more expensive Self Addressed Stamped Envelope, a young autograph enthusiast could enclose a penny postcard purchased from the post that their hero could sign and then just pop in the mailbox. This made autograph collecting much more affordable when someone just wanted a signature. The added bonus to this is that these postcards were then postmarked from the city they returned from and dated which gave the autograph a lasting documentation from the moment in time that it was signed. On the flip side because these autographs were just thrown into the mail, they often arrived bent, smudged, and/or damaged.
Offered is an excruciatingly rare multi-signed GPC (Government Postcard) signed by 9 members of the World Championship team, New York Yankees. Signed in dark bold black steel tipped pen by:
Hall of Famer - Lou Gehrig -(D. 1941) was an American baseball first baseman who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees (1923–1939). Gehrig set several major league records, including the most career grand slams (23), which Alex Rodriguez tied in 2012, and most consecutive games played (2,130), since surpassed by Cal Ripken, Jr.. Gehrig is chiefly remembered for his prowess as a hitter and his durability, a trait which earned him his nickname "The Iron Horse", as well as the pathos of his farewell from baseball at age 36, when he was stricken with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Gehrig was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939. In 1969 he was voted the greatest first baseman of all time by the Baseball Writers' Association and was the leading vote-getter on the Major League Baseball All-Century Team, chosen by fans in 1999.
(note – we can count on one hand how many government postcards that we’ve seen AUTHENTICALLY signed by Gehrig)
Hall of Famer - Tony Lazzeri (D. 1946 at age 42) was a Major League baseball star during the 1920s and 1930s, predominantly with the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball. He was part of the famed "Murderers' Row" Yankee batting lineup of the late 1920s (most notably the legendary 1927 team), along with Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Bob Meusel.
Lazzeri is one of only 14 major league baseball players to hit for the natural cycle (hitting a single, double, triple and home run in sequence) and the only player to complete a natural cycle with a grand slamHe also holds the American League record for the most RBI in a single game, with 11 on May 24, 1936. In that same 1936 game, he became the first major league player to hit two grand slams in one game. Lazzeri was posthumously inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1991.
Also signed by stars, Spud Chandler (D. 1990), Myril Hoag (D. 1971), Bump Hadley (D. 1963), George Selkirk (D. 1987), Johnny Broaca (D. 1986), Pat Malone (D. 1943 at the age of 40), and Art Jorgens (D. 1980) .
Super rare postmarked June 19, 1937 from the Bronx, NY.
Encapsulated authentic by PSA/DNA
Item: 13216
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