LOT #80009 |
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Circa 1915 Eddie Plank Single Signed Baseball, Only Example Known!...
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Sold on Aug 4, 2011 for:
$83,650.00
Bid Source: Live: Phone bidder
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Description
Circa 1915 Eddie Plank Single Signed Baseball, Only Example Known! He learned his trade on the blood-soaked grounds of America's most hallowed battlefield, fashioning his slab of baseball immortality with a sidearmed curveball that earned him 326 Major League victories. The third winningest southpaw of all time behind Warren Spahn and Steve Carlton, "Gettysburg Eddie" is best recalled for his fourteen seasons of service to the first great Philadelphia Athletics dynasty. Just eight and a half years after pitching his last game, Plank fell victim to a fatal stroke at age fifty, ensuring that his signature would remain one of the most challenging of all twentieth century stars.But while Plank is a rare sight in any autograph format, he has only been encountered one time in single signed baseball format. You're looking at it. To be fair, the leather that comprises the skin of the baseball did not begin life in its current spherical format, but was instead a leather satchel once belonging to the star lefty, who wrote his name as a means of identification. This story was confirmed to us by Steve Grad at PSA/DNA, who saw the signature before its transformation soon after the collector purchased it from the Plank estate.
The deeply toned leather competes with the black fountain pen ink for contrast, but the autograph would likely rate a 5/10 on a white ball. It is still instantly apparent and legible against the dark background, and quibbles over condition or the somewhat rudimentary stitching that binds the leather around the guts of a genuine baseball are silly considering the singular nature of the piece. The experts at PSA/DNA likewise confirm that they have never seen another Plank single, so this offering represents the definitive "now or never" moment. Bid accordingly. Full LOA from PSA/DNA.
Auction Info
2011 August Chicago Signature Vintage Sports Collectibles Platinum Auction #7037 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
August, 2011
4th
Thursday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 8
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 4,962
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
19.5% of the successful bid per lot.
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