In the summer of 1955 the Hall of Fame opened its doors to six new members: Joe DiMaggio, Ray Schalk, Ted Lyons, Dazzy Vance, Frank "Home Run" Baker and Gabby Hartnett. As the event still does today, the 1955 induction ceremony attracted the greatest living ballplayers to the sleepy upstate New York village. During the induction weekend, newly enshrined member Gabby Hartnett helped out his nephew (our consignor, who was there to celebrate the honor with Gabby's family) by passing around this 1955 Boston Red Sox team yearbook at the Cooperstown hotel bar and got 24 guys to sign it.
The names found in this book are a veritable who’s who of baseball history: Hall of Fame members Cy Young (who died later that November), Ty Cobb, Charles "Kid" Nichols, Frankie Frisch, Joe McCarthy, Bill Terry and Will Harridge, as well as that year’s inductees DiMaggio, Baker, Vance, Schalk and Lyons. The majority of signatures are found grouped on a single interior page. Contemporary stars Del Crandall and Eddie Mathews, who participated in
that HOF year’s exhibition game (Milwaukee Braves vs. Boston Red Sox), have signed a tipped-in single sheet while their Braves teammates Ray Crone, Chet Nichols and Johnny Logan, along with the president of the North Atlantic League (Landgray) have signed on the group paged. The only signature on the yearbook cover is that of Red Sox shortstop Bill Klaus.
The late Hartnett was born and raised in Rhode Island, and apparently some of his relatives remained Red Sox fans despite Gabby's long career behind the dish with the Cubs. The signatures, ranging mostly 6-8/10 in strength and eye appeal, are done in blue ink/ballpoint and have been well-preserved within its pages. The program shows some edge wear and minor creasing, but remains EX-MT overall.
Includes letter of provenance from Hartnett's nephew, Frank Parnell. Full LOA from PSA/DNA.