LOT #19738 |
Sold on May 3, 2008 for: Not Sold
1952-53 Jean Beliveau Signed CAHA Player's Certificate with Official Contacts/Letters Lot of 5. In what was one of the mor...
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Description
1952-53 Jean Beliveau Signed CAHA Player's Certificate with Official Contacts/Letters Lot of 5. In what was one of the more circuitous routes taken into professional hockey, Jean Beliveau finally joined Montreal Canadiens in 1953 for good, never to play amateur hockey again. Beliveau's story began as a 15-year-old when he initially drew the attention of the Montreal Canadiens' general manager Frank Selke. Although he was a star for the Quebec Aces of the Quebec Senior Hockey League, led the team in scoring in 1953 and was called up for a couple brief stints to play with the Habs, Beliveau had little interest in pursuing a professional career, which drew the ire of a Selke who was intent on having the phenom play for him. To ensure that Selke would secure the services of the future Hall of Famer, the GM hatched a plan -- the Canadiens would buy the entire QSHL and convert it into a professional league. This meant that under the terms of the B-form that he had previously signed, Beliveau would have to honor the Habs' ownership of his professional rights beginning with the 1953-54 season. Here we present perhaps the rarest group of material to emerge in the hobby in the form of several official documents from Beliveau's early forays into professional hockey. Included is his signed player's certificate from 1952-53, a 1951 agreement that sent Beliveau from his brief stint with the Canadiens back to the Aces with letters from each GM (signed by Selke), a signed letter from Aces coach George Imlach that offers a renewal of contract to Beliveau for the 1952-53 season with the mentioned contract, and a questionnaire for players filled out in fountain ink by the Hall of Famer himself, with such quirky answers as "golf & women" to the "What are your Hobbies?" line. Supremely scarce offering from one of the most-celebrated figures in the history of the game. LOA fAuction Info
2008 May Signature Sports Collectibles Auction #709 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
May, 2008
3rd
Saturday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 3
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 741
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
19.5% of the successful bid per lot.
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