Presented here are a pair of former Rookies of the Year, New York Yankee Tony Kubek and Cincinnati Red Pete Rose, autographed versions of a Topps card of each. The signatures are in vintage ballpoint and present nicely on these cardboard treasures.
The 1962 edition of Kubek includes penmanship deemed a NM-MT 8 by PSA/DNA, while they have authenticated Rose's ink.
We love the sparkle in Pete's eyes on this card, as if he was thinking I'm really getting paid?! to play the game I love!
Note that on the back of the Rose card there are ink marks. The consignor noted that back in the day he sometimes "warmed up" his ballpoint pen on the back of cards while waiting for autographs from the ballplayers. Hey, it was nearly 60 years ago. He was a kid. Who knew? The front of the Rose card, Pete's first individual card, and the sharp signature, still present fantastically!
Provenance:
As documented in the story The Great Autograph Hunt from the February 5, 1974 Dayton (Ohio) Journal Herald, Jack Zimmerman and his grade school buddies Tim Gallagher and Vince Martin started collecting autographs of athletes through the mail, at games and at team hotels, primarily in the Cincinnati and Dayton areas. The boys were relentless in their pursuit of baseball, basketball and football players, obtaining the stars and "commons" of the day, plus "old timers" and "legends" that were coaches, broadcasters or responsive through the mail. Jack was locked in on collecting from about 1968 through 1975, until pursuit of his own basketball career took priority. Jack became an All-State high school player, then had a Hall of Fame career hooping at the University of Dayton, followed by several seasons as an overseas pro, including suiting up for the prestigious Maccabi Tel Aviv club. Jack's extensive collection was essentially put in a time capsule in 1976 and has literally followed him all over the world. We are proud to present selected treasures from Jack's collection in our Auction, fresh to the hobby and seeing the light of day for the first time in over 45 years!