The 1931 Philadelphia Athletics were perhaps the greatest baseball team to not win a World Series. Led by a young Jimmie Foxx and sterling Al Simmons, the A’s trotted out a fearsome nine each and every day. Lefty Grove tallied 31 of his 300 career victories in 1931, frustrating batters to the tune of a 2.06 ERA and earning the American League MVP Award. The A’s won 107 games to claim the American League pennant by a comfortable 13.5 games and set up a Fall Classic showdown against the St. Louis Cardinals. Although the A’s pitching staff stymied the Cardinals bats, their own hitters other than Foxx and Simmons could not get going, and the A’s lost a heartbreaking seven game series.

     This Official American League Ernest S. Barnard baseball has been signed by 24 members of the ’31 Athletics. Hall of Famers Lefty Grove and Connie Mack have signed the sweet spot, although the Mack signature has been deemed a clubhouse version. Other Hall of Fame signatures include Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons, Mickey Cochrane, and Eddie Collins. The remaining signatures include Bing Miller, Jim Moore, Phil Todt, George Earnshaw, Ray Mahaffey, Mule Haas, Rube Walberg, Lew Krausse, Eddie Rommel, Jimmy Dykes, Max Bishop, Joe Palmisano, Hank McDonald, Johnnie Heving, and several more. The signatures have been written in black fountain pen. This item comes with a LOA from Steve Grad of Beckett Authentication (A81858).

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