Opening Day Auction Closing May 9th
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/10/2015
A great document recording the complicated purchase of Hall of Famer Tony Lazzeri by the New York Yankees. Lazzeri had just come off an incredible season where he hit .355 and banged out a record 60 home runs for the Salt Lake City Bees. He knocked in 222 RBI, the most in professional baseball and a record that still stands. Though the Cubs had an agreement with Salt Lake, they passed on the young slugger because he suffered from epilepsy, back then a mysterious and quite scary affliction. The Yankees, looking for a slugger to pair with Ruth, swooped in and purchased Lazzeri for $50,000. This is the very document that transfers Lazzeri (or Antone Lazzere as he is referred to) to the Yankees. Besides setting a payment schedule for the 50 grand, the 1 page contract lists additional ballplayers thrown in to sweeten the pot. The contract has been signed in bold black fountain pen by Yankees president Jacob Ruppert and in elegant blue pen by Bees president Bill Lane. Of note is the man who co-signed as a witness: C.A. Baum. Baum was a former Pacific Coast League star pitcher better known as Charlie "Spider" Baum, "The Mathewson of the Minors". As a working document there is wear from use and age. The reverse has been repaired with a small piece of tape and there are some rips and tearing along the brittle horizontal folds. There is slight toning along the edges and various pencil and pen notations in the margins, none of which affects the signatures. Letter of Authenticity from PSA/DNA.