Winter Auction 2016 Closing January 30th
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 1/31/2016
Though a bit of a reluctant hero, Honus Wagner was nonetheless generally accommodating toward autograph requests. The medium holding this splendid Wagner signature is a lightly used Spalding "Atlantic Base Ball School" unofficial ball. On the sweet spot of this sphere, the Hall of Famer used blue ballpoint ink to place his conventional "J. Honus Wagner" scripting, and has also inscribed, "To Mayor Huston - from," and added the date, "July 17 41." The ball's tribute to the Pittsburgh mayoral aspirant continued on the side panel, where another former player signed, "Wilbur Cooper," and added, "Pirates 1917-24 - Good Luck Mayor." Both men were apparently placing their optimistic support behind a local official's bid to unseat the incumbent Pittsburgh mayor in the upcoming 1941 election. As it happened, John L. Huston failed to win the Democratic machine's nomination, and – the ballplayers' endorsement of Huston notwithstanding – Cornelius "Conn" Scully was chosen in the November 4, 1941 election to serve another term. Wagner, one of the Hall of Fame's five original inductees in 1936, passed away in 1955. LOA from JSA.