Spring Premier Auction 2015

From one of the five original members of the Hall of Fame comes this remarkable personal bank check signed by Christy Mathewson. Drawn on his home bank in Saranac Lake, New York it boasts a spectacular fountain pen signature of Matty assessed as Gem Mint 10 by PSA/DNA. Accompanying the check and further punctuating it’s considerable importance, is an elegant single-page letter from Mathewson's widow describing the bank check as "one of my prized possessions." The touching affirmation from Mrs. Mathewson is penned on her personal stationery. In the letter she alludes to a visit with the man's father, who had relayed to Mrs. Mathewson about what a big baseball fan his son was. In an attractive fountain pen script nearly as elegant as Christy's autograph, the widow says she knows receiving the check will mean a lot to the man. Also included is the original envelope, postmarked with a 4-cent stamp in Lewisburg, Pa., and sent to the addressee in Upper Darby, Pa. The check is dated Sept. 24, 1924, roughly one year before his tragic death at age 45. Accidentally gassed during a training exercise in Europe during World War I, Mathewson contracted tuberculosis and had battled the dreaded disease in the years since his return from overseas. As tuberculosis ravaged much of the nation, thousands had turned to the "cure cottages" that dotted much of the area around Saranac Lake and the famed Trudeau Institute. Mathewson had visited Saranac Lake often initially, then moved there to live in 1923 until his passing two years later in October of 1925. It is difficult to overstate the significance of such a treasured memento related to the iconic Mathewson with its compelling and direct estate provenance.