Offered is a lot of two A. G. Spalding and A. J. Reach company documents signed by members of each sporting goods company’s board of directors. Albert Goodwill Spalding was a pitcher, manager, and executive in the early years of professional baseball, and the co-founder of A.G. Spalding sporting goods company. He played Major League baseball between 1871 and 1878. Spalding set a trend when he started wearing a baseball glove. In 1874 while Spalding was playing and organizing the league, Spalding and his brother Walter began a sporting goods store in Chicago, which grew rapidly (14 stores by 1901) and expanded into a manufacturer and distributor of all kinds of sporting equipment. The company became "synonymous with sporting goods” and continues to this day.  After becoming one of the early stars of baseball in the National Association, Alfred James Reach went on to become an influential executive, publisher, sporting goods manufacturer and spokesman for the sport. Upon his retirement from playing in 1875, he helped found the Philadelphia Phillies franchise. Reach served as team president from 1883 to 1899. Later, similarly to Spalding, Reach formed a sporting goods company and earned millions. In fact, he sold his company to Spalding in 1889.

The first item in this lot is a page from a contract dated October 17, 1934 signed by officials of A. G. Spalding & Bros., including Thos. Shibe (in black pen), Geo. A. Reach (in black pen), and H. Boardman Spalding (in black graphite pencil). This item comes with a LOA from Steven Grad of Beckett Authentication. The second item in this lot is a page from a “Waiver of Notice of Meeting” signed by the Directors of A. J. Reach Company dated June 25, 1918, with the signatures of A. J. Reach, B. F. Shibe, Geo. A. Reach, Thos. Shibe, H. Boardman Spalding and J. W. Spalding, all in black pen. This item comes with a LOA from Steven Grad of Beckett Authentication.

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