1956 Napoleon "Larry" Lajoie Single Signed Baseball, PSA/DNA NM-MT 8....

Click the image to load the highest resolution version.

Sold on Feb 20, 2016 for:

Sign-in or Join (free & quick)

Get one of these:

Share this lot

Track Item Printable Auction Results

Sell One of These

Description

Auction Info

Guides & Info

Description

Believed to be the highest graded Lajoie single on Earth

1956 Napoleon "Larry" Lajoie Single Signed Baseball, PSA/DNA NM-MT 8. He was born to French Canadians who emigrated to the United States, named for the famous conqueror but often called "Larry," a nickname he picked up when a teammate struggled with the pronunciation of his surname. Like his contemporary Shoeless Joe Jackson, Lajoie was a grade school dropout who worked in a textile mill as a boy and quickly showed talent in industrial league play. As word of his slugging prowess spread, Lajoie rose through the semi-professional ranks to the Class B New England League Fall River Indians, and then almost immediately to the Majors for six years in Philadelphia with the Phillies and Athletics. But it was Lajoie's time in Cleveland for which he is best remembered, his popularity so great that the team was dubbed the "Naps" in his honor.

Though Lajoie managed briefly following his retirement as a player, he was out of the game completely by 1918 and rarely within range of autograph seekers as a result. He was a regular signer through the mail, but postcards were the medium used almost exclusively. Signed horsehide remains frustratingly scarce.

Here we present a specimen that surpasses even our November 2013 offering that garnered just short of $60,000 in intense bidding. Remarkably, this ball was signed on the same date as that earlier offering, likewise an Official American League ball of President Harridge format. With subgrades of 8/10 for the autograph and 7/10 for the baseball, and a half-point "bump" for elite aesthetics, the ball is believed to be the owner of the highest grade ever assigned to a Lajoie single by PSA/DNA. A thrilling opportunity for the uncompromising collector. Full Grading LOA from PSA/DNA, NM-MT 8. Full LOA from James Spence Authentication.