Presented is an original grain of rice with handwritten inscription by E. L. Blystone, known as “The Rice Writer”, presented to Bronko Nagurski for his 1929 College Football All-American honors and seen in the Robert L. Ripley cartoon strip “Believe it or Not!” in 1937.  The grain of rice is in a clear bubble attached to a 1¾ x 3-inch white cut card, on which Blystone inscribed “Collier’s Bronko Nagurski Minnesota” in black fountain pen script. The grain of rice, under a magnifying glass, reveals the caption, in black, “Collier’s All-American Football Team 1929 Bronko Nagurski Minnesota Tackle Grantland Rice”. The card is accompanied by a 2¼ x 3½-inch white envelope inscribed “Bronko Nagurski Minnesota” in black fountain pen script. The envelope is cut across the top. The Blystone-inscribed grain of rice is accompanied by a January 6, 1930 typewritten letter to Nagurski from Charles Colebaugh, Managing Editor of Collier’s The National Weekly on 5½ x 8½-inch white letterhead. The letter, folded in thirds, includes Colebaugh’s signature in black fountain pen in the lower right, and notes that “…As a compliment to Mr. Rice and the All-America players for 1929, Mr. Blystone has sent us eleven grains of rice, each one of which he has particularly inscribed – with name, position and so forth – for the individual members of the team.” The letter from Collier’s is accompanied by a 3½ x 6-inch white letterhead envelope addressed to Nagurski at the University of Minnesota and postmarked January 7, 1930. The envelope is torn at the top left and top left corner and is stained from wear. Nagurski became a standout playing both tackle on defense and fullback on offense at the University of Minnesota from 1927 to 1929, selected a consensus All-American in 1929 and inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in its inaugural year of 1951. Blystone became famous in the 1930s as “Bly the Rice Writer” after he inscribed the Lord’s Prayer on a grain of rice, an accomplishment that got him feature in the “Believe it or Not!” nationally syndicated newspaper cartoon in 1934. He also performed the feat regularly in front of audiences, including the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, the 1936 California Exposition, and the 1939 New York World’s Fair. This item comes with a LOA from the Nagurski Family.

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