Summer Premium and Catalog Auction July 31 & Aug 8
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 7/31/2015
During the first half of the Roaring 20’s, “Mugsy” McGraw’s New York Giants ruled the roost in the National League. With a star studded cast of future Hall of Famers, the Giants captured four National League pennants and two World Series championships from 1921-1924. This spectacular 1925 New York Giants team- signed ball carries the signatures of nine Hall of Famers, including manager McGraw and Coach Hughie Jennings (a former teammate as a player and lifelong friend of McGraw’s). Also includes, George “High Pockets” Kelly, Frankie “The Fordham Flash” Frisch, Bill Terry, Billy Southworth, Hack Wilson, Travis Jackson and one of McGraw’s favorite players Ross “Pep” Youngs.
McGraw’s prominent signature is in black steel-tip fountain pen grading 8-9 and shares the sweet spot just to the side and above Frank Frisch’s neatly penned signature (“7”) centered between the blue and red seams of this appropriate vintage 1918-1924 Spalding Official National League (Heydler) ball. Ross Youngs, (who would die suddenly of Bright’s disease two years later), included his nickname “Pep” in his perfectly crafted signature (“8/9”) to the immediate left of Frisch. George Kelly’s signature (“6”) includes his middle initial “L” and is just below McGraw’s. Hughie Jennings’ signature appears above McGraw’s with a scuff mark on the g in his first name. Bill Terry’s “William H. Terry” rates a solid (“8-9”) and runs across the top of the east panel. Billy Southworth (“5-6”) is two signatures below Terry, with Travis Jackson (“6-7”) one signature below Southworth and Hack Wilson’s spelled out proper name “Lewis (Hack) Wilson” at the top of the opposite west panel (“7”).
Other notable signatures include: Irish Meusel, Jack Scott, Mickey Devine, Virgil Barnes, Art Nehf, Hank Gowdy, Grover Hartley, Hugh McMullen, and Frank Snyder.
This remarkable ball contains 20 signatures in all and is in very good to excellent condition with even toning and a slick coating of protective shellac covering the surface. Comes with JSA/LOA #B87558.