Offered is a 1947 Mickey (Chuck) Mantle signed Commerce (Oklahoma) High School “The Tiger Chat” newspaper. The Hall of Fame New York Yankees centerfielder signed his full name “Mickey (Chuck) Mantle” in gray graphite pencil on the lower center of the back page of the 10-page 8½ x 11-inch white paper booklet. The Tiger Chat Newspaper also has a baseball article with Mantle in it.  The baseball article mentions Mantle's famous leg injury and other baseball stats.  This is likely Mantle's first known sports article plus the historically significant sports document on the beginning of Mantle's career of injuries!

The booklet is stapled twice in the left margin and is headlined “Final Edition of The Tiger Chat” on the front cover, dated May 16, 1947. Mantle’s is one of several signatures from fellow students and teachers on the back cover, which is a hand-drawn ad for “Basil’s Café Tasty Pastries Nutritious Meats”. Mantle attended Commerce High School from the fall of 1945 to his graduation in June 1949.  At the age of 15, Mantle played for the Baxter Springs Whiz Kids in a semi-pro league which was composed of players up to 21 years old. At Commerce, Mantle excelled in baseball, football and basketball. Yankees scout Tom Greenwade discovered Mantle while he was playing for the Baxter Springs Whiz Kids in 1948. On that particular day, Mantle hit two tape measure home runs (one from each side of the plate) that cleared the fence and rolled into the river which was over 400 feet from home plate. Greenwade returned to Commerce on Mantle’s graduation day and signed him to a professional contact with the New York Yankees for $140 per month plus a $1,150 signing bonus. This item comes with a LOA from JSA.

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