The National Baseball Hall of Fame was created in 1939 by Singer Sewing Machine heir Stephen Carlton Clark. Located in Cooperstown, New York, the Hall was built by Clark to boost tourism to the area after the Great Depression severely hurt the city financially. The rumor that Civil War hero Abner Doubleday invented baseball in Cooperstown added to the Hall's allure. It was instrumental in the promotion of the newly minted Hall, regardless of the claim being false. The Hall currently boasts 333 players, managers, executives, umpires, and innovators, with the Hall's first inaugural class consisting of Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Babe Ruth, Walter Johnson, and Christy Mathewson. The Hall's motto of "Preserving History, Honoring Excellence, Connecting Generations," is clearly seen on this offered 5 x 3 ¼ -inch multi-signed page from 1939 that consists of 12 signatures from baseball legends and stars, including key signatures from the inaugural Hall of Fame inductees, slugger Babe Ruth and prolific hitter Honus Wagner. Other key signatures include Hall of Famer Mel Ott, the first National League player to reach 500 home runs, and Hall of Famer Larry Lajoie, the third person in MLB history to record 3,000 hits. The signatures on the page are bold and were signed in various colors of ink. The page is torn and features elements of toning. The 1939 page signed by 12 players with key signatures from Ruth, Wagner, Lajoie, and Ott comes with an LOA from Beckett Authentication (AA09038).

Auction Notepad