The original “Hebrew Hammer,” Hank Greenberg was not only baseball’s first Jewish star but one of the game’s prolific sluggers and great American heroes. Nearly two decades before Jackie Robinson suffered through tremendous racist baiting as Major League baseball’s first African-American player, Greenberg was on the receiving end of similar indignities as a pioneering Jewish player.  

     Greenberg was also the original “Hammerin Hank,” and served for more than four years in the U.S. Army during the prime of his career from 1941-1945 and was among the first Americans to register for the first peacetime draft in the nation’s history. Initially classified as 4F on account of his “flat feet,” following a physical examination in the spring of 1941, Greenberg asked for a second opinion and was deemed fit for service. He was inducted into the U.S. Army on May 7, 1941 one day after hitting a pair of home runs for the Tigers in a 7-4 victory over the N.Y. Yankees in his final game of the season at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. Originally serving as an anti-tank gunner, he was eventually promoted to sergeant and was honorably discharged on December 5 and was the first Major League player to re-enlist in February of 1942 two months after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor.   

     A four-time All-Star and four-time AL home run leader before being drafted, Greenberg threatened Babe Ruth’s single-season record walloping 58 home runs in 1938, and led the AL with 41 home runs and 150 RBI in 1940 capturing his second AL MVP award while narrowly missing the triple-crown with a .340 batting average, 12 points behind Joe DiMaggio’s league-leading pace. His 183 RBI in 1937 is one shy of Lou Gehrig’s American League single-season record of 184. A member of two Detroit Tigers World Series champion teams Greenberg was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1956.

     This fantastic game-worn, soft and floppy, dark blue Wilson Detroit Tigers cap  is signed by Greenberg in black marker on the underside of its brim and reveals evidence of heavy game use with some sweat stains on its exterior crown and around the head band. The white interior head band is well-stretched with some cracking but remains soft to the touch and contains a Wilson Made In U.S.A. black stamp and the digits 10 or 01 in dark ink at the back of the interior band. The cap comes with a hand-written letter from Greenberg on a 7” x 10.5” sheet of Detroit-Leland Hotel stationery dated July 30, 1945 reading:
           

           “Dear Arnold- I received your v-mail [abbreviation for Victory Mail, a process used during WWII to insure secure correspondence between soldiers stationed abroad] letter to-day and was inspired to learn that you are now with the 8^th air force. It sure is a tough break that you ain’t back in the states, as nearly everyone in the old 20^th has been back. I guess it’s just the breaks tho’ and I hope you will be on your way back before too long.
            It’s a great feeling to be out of the service. I’m my own boss now and don’t have to take anything from anyone.
            I’m sending a Detroit cap to-day. It isn’t brand new but I hope it is suitable.
            I sure hope you can be back for the World Series this fall in I believe Detroit will be in it and I’d like to have you as my guest.
            Good luck and keep safe.
            your friend
            -Hank

  Very few game worn items exist from Hank Greenberg, and we believe this is the ONLY one that comes with a letter from Hank himself. Mears letter of authenticity as well.

Auction Notepad