Rare, Indeed: Some of the Rarest Baseball-Related Autographed Items Known (Or Not Known) to Exist
Cards and such are great, and autographs make them even more special. But thereʼs a special ring within “special,” as some autographs are crazy-rare, particularly on certain items. Want a peek at some of the ultra-rares? Okay! And wanna know about some autographs
no one can get? Weʼll tell you about those, too…
1933 Goudey Napoleon Lajoie
Probable population: 1
The 1933 Goudey Napoleon Lajoie is an amazing hobby rarity to start with. Card #106 was not produced with the rest of the ’33s, and when collectors complained to Goudey, the company sent them this special Lajoie card produced with the ’34s in response. But how many people really took the time to write that letter? Not many.
And of the “not manys,” one—probably the only autographed one—now resides in a place befitting its status: The Baseball Hall of Fame.
“We got it back in 2001 from [legendary collector] Barry Halper,” says John B. Odell, the Curator of History & Research at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. “When the
opportunity came, we did our due diligence on both the card and the signature as authentic, and those both checked out.”
Make no mistake, the Hall is happy to have this amazing piece for all to see. But in general, they’d rather their artifacts aren’t autographed.
“Our mission is to preserve the game as it was on the fi eld,” Odell says. “An autograph means one more thing we have to preserve, and that can be challenging with different materials. ere’s the item itself, and now the ink on it.”
Autograph experts and longtime dealers agree this is the only signed example of this card. But one mystery still picks at the brain of Odell over this dated example.
“I would love to know how Larry Lajoie came to sign this card,” he says. “If anyone has any idea of where Larry Lajoie was on Nov. 14, 1936, tell us. Was it some rubber-chicken hot stove banquet or something? Where had it been all those years? I don’t know.”
George Weiss Hall of Fame Plaque
Probable population: 1
Yankees and Mets front office exec George Weiss got his call to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971. Alas, Weiss was in very poor health, essentially bedridden at his home in Greenwich, Conn. Weiss died in 1972, and authentic Weiss Hall of Fame plaque postcards are a bit of a
mystery. Tales of fans visiting Weiss at the end of his life are legend, but legend doesn’t always intersect with reality.
Jim Stinson, a well-known autograph dealer with 40-plus years of experience, sheds some light.
“Story is a neighbor to Weiss had visited with him,” Stinson says. “He would leave plaques to be signed by Weiss, pick them up, but he suspected they were signed by the wife. One day, he insisted on greeting Weiss personally, and it was explained to me that he went to his bedside, chatted with him a bit, and Weiss signed one plaque for him. It didn’t look like any of the signatures we’ve ever seen, or the ones he believed were being signed by the wife.”
It’s certainly plausible that a gravely ill man at the end of his life would have a shaky signature. The known-authentic Weiss signed postcard plaque now resides in a private collection, aft er being purchased for a large sum.
“I know who got it,” Stinson says. “This guy buys some very high-end stuff and is a stickler for authenticity. To this day, I believe that’s the only real plaque that exists, and that’s the general consensus in the hobby today.”
Stinson also believes the general public will not see the final Weiss autograph.
“If there’s a type of autograph where only one exists, collectors don’t want it to get out there, because then there’s a possibility of replication by unscrupulous people,” Stinson says. “I’m as close to him as anybody, and I wouldn’t ask him for a copy, and I don’t think he’d give me one anyway.”
1982 Fleer Steve Garvey
Probable population: 0 (for now!)
Dodgers legend Steve Garvey is a willing signer, except for one card, his 1982 Fleer. Garvey vowed to sign just one example of that card and eventually auction it for charity. He hasn’t done it yet, and addressed the topic on the March 5, 2022, PodBean Podcast.
“Just waiting for the right time,” Garvey said. “Who knows what it will go for? It’ll probably go
for Fans for the Cure, which is a prostate cancer foundation I’m chairman of.”
A few signed ’82 Fleer Garveys have floated through the hobby, but they are now generally accepted to be forgeries.
1991 Studio Greg Swindell
Probable population: 0
It happens from time to time: Card companies get the wrong guy. An example? The 1991 Studio card of Greg Swindell, which pictures Cleveland teammate Tim Costo. Swindell has steadfastly declined to autograph that card, but Costo is happy to.
“It’s all good. I think It’s hilarious; I love it. I have no problem signing it,” Costo says.
Costo also says he’s never talked to Swindell about it. “It’s been so long since we
played together, and it’s not like it was a big topic of discussion,” he says. “But we
should catch up! He’s an awesome, down-to-earth guy, such a great teammate.”
Collectors say a Swindell-signed 1991 Studio is mostly likely a population of zero,
and Costo certainly can’t put the lie to that.
“If I did see one signed by Greg, I don’t remember it,” he says. “I certainly don’t think I’ve ever signed one already signed by him.”
Interesting Odds and Ends
Some other specific autographs are also very rare, often driven by early player deaths or scarcity of the card:
- 1971 Topps Gil Hodges: Hodges died on April 2, 1972, before his ’72 card came out. His 1971 Topps was the last chance to get a Hodges autograph. “There are three, I’ve seen all three; I’ve owned one,” Phillip Marks says. The example pictured here was just sold in January 2022 by Marks for $1,700.
- 1951 Topps Red Back Gil Hodges: Hodges was only 48 years old at the time of his death, and given their small size, ’51 Topps cards were not particularly popular autograph items. Marks has had four of the five known, and just sold this example in March 2022 for $850.
- 1951 Topps Red Back Luke Easter: The slugging first baseman was only 64 years old when he was murdered by armed robbers. There is likely only one in existence. Marks still has it.
- 1951 Topps Blue Back Richie Ashburn: The Blue Backs are considerably scarcer than their Red Back counterparts, and again . . . not a particularly popular autograph item. Marks says there are fewer than 10 signed examples of this card from the Hall of Fame outfielder who passed away in 1997.
I’ve looked at a few of these rare baseball autograph lists. This is the only one I could reply to. PSA’s was the worst. This one was pretty silly with population 0’s. What I’ve been looking for is the desire of Thurman Munson autographs. He didn’t sign much, or play much unfortunately, and played right before the big collectors boom.
If you look for autographs of his you mainly find tiny scraps of paper and maybe a few faded balls, or a signature on a document of his. Yet, his cheapest autograph on the market, which is on a tiny scrap of paper goes for the price of a Mantle & DiMaggio autograph combined.
Just surprised I haven’t seen him honored on a list.