Circa 1920 Joe Kelley Single Signed Baseball. ...

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Circa 1920 Joe Kelley Single Signed Baseball. A key member of the 1890's Baltimore Orioles, whose ranks featured an astonishing number of future Hall of Famers (Hanlon, McGraw, Jennings, Keeler, Brouthers and Wilbert Robinson), Kelley was the last of this Championship crew to earn a Cooperstown nod. Enshrined almost three decades after his 1943 passing, Kelley today stands as one of the greatest challenges for collectors of Hall of Fame singles. This is, in fact, just the second example to emerge on the hobby's auction block in the past dozen years, suggesting strongly that interested bidders should approach this offering as a "now or never" situation.

We're pleased to report that Kelley's black fountain pen signature, applied to the sweet spot of a slightly undersized and well-toned orb, survives with impressive 8/10 boldness. A very faint block-lettered notation on the opposing sweet spot, applied in an unknown hand (though perhaps Kelley's) reads "St. Georges," perhaps referring to the region in eastern Maryland where Kelley resided for many years.

Our Spring Signature auction shook up the hobby world as single signed rarities from Lajoie, Collins and Kid Nichols provided some of the event's biggest fireworks. Clearly the low-population Hall of Fame single is a stock on the rise, so we expect considerable attention to this lot from investment-minded hobbyists. Full LOA from PSA/DNA. Full LOA from James Spence Authentication.

Fees, Shipping, and Handling Description: Balls, Pucks, etc., Small (view shipping information)

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