A True Piece of Baseball & American History

Some autographs are special. This one is historic.

This 1940 Play Ball Ted Williams signed card is one of the earliest known signed baseball cards from "The Splendid Splinter." But beyond its rarity, it represents something much greater—a direct link to one of baseball’s greatest hitters and one of America’s most heroic figures.

The story behind this card is as special as the signature itself. In 1940-41, a young girl working in her father’s bait and tackle shop in Sarasota, FL, had a tradition: when professional ballplayers stopped in before fishing, she’d offer them free bait in exchange for an autograph or a game of catch. Most players chose to sign rather than risk throwing with a young girl—Ted Williams was one of them.

To protect the signature, she placed Scotch tape over the autograph and stored it in her scrapbook. While the tape has aged over time, it has preserved what could be one of the earliest surviving signed Ted Williams baseball cards.

But Ted Williams was more than a baseball legend—he was a war hero. A two-time MVP, .344 career batting average, 521 home runs, and the last man to hit .400, Williams left the game twice in his prime to serve his country.

During WWII and the Korean War, he trained as a fighter pilot and flew combat missions alongside John Glenn. He didn’t just serve—he excelled, earning high praise for his skill and bravery in the air. Few players in MLB history made sacrifices on this level.

This card holds deep personal meaning for me, as I collect signed rookie cards and memorabilia from all MLB players who served in the military, particularly those who were WWII veterans. It’s a way of preserving not just baseball history, but also honoring the men who stepped away from the game to serve their country.

Would you restore this card or leave it exactly as it is—a relic of both baseball and American history? Let me know your thoughts below! 👇

Ted Williams period signed 1940 Play Ball #26

It's Always Fun...

…when you are able to grab a couple of signed baseball cards that are over 100 years old! I have had my eye on the legendary Minor League slugger, Joe Hauser, for quite some time!

This rare 1923 W572 hand-cut card features Joe Hauser, one of the most prolific sluggers of his era. Nicknamed "Unser Choe" during his time with the Minneapolis Millers, Hauser made history as one of the first players to hit 60 home runs in a season, achieving the feat in 1930. This card, bearing his authenticated signature, is a piece of baseball lore, offering collectors a glimpse into a bygone era of the game.

The W572 series, a hand-cut strip card set, is highly sought after by vintage collectors due to its unique production style and scarcity. This specific card captures Hauser in a classic batting pose, showcasing the craftsmanship and photography of the early 20th century. Graded as PSA/DNA Authentic, the card and signature are a must-have for any collector focused on rare pre-war baseball memorabilia.

This card not only holds historical significance but also represents a golden age of baseball, making it an invaluable addition to any serious collection.

This 1922 Witmor Candy Co. hand-cut card features Charles A. Deal, a standout third baseman for the Chicago Nationals. Known for his solid defense and clutch hitting, Deal made significant contributions during the early 20th century, including playing a key role in the Chicago Cubs’ success in the National League. His signature on this card, authenticated by PSA/DNA, makes it an exceptional piece of baseball history.

The Witmor Candy cards are a rare collectible series that was originally distributed with candy products. Their delicate production process, combined with limited surviving examples, makes these cards highly sought after by vintage enthusiasts. This specific card, displaying a striking pose of Deal in uniform and his full signature, represents a rare opportunity to own a significant piece of pre-war memorabilia.

HoF Graded Cards Scanned!

For the most part ;) more to come!

Rescanning the collection!

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I apologize for the delay in updating the site. I am currently in the process of rescanning my Hall of Fame collection, which may result in some broken links during this time.

I appreciate your patience and understanding as I work to improve the site. Thank you for your support!

SIGNED ROOKIES REFRESH!

August 28th, 2024

Well, I finally got around to doing a complete rebrand and website refresh for Signed Rookies! Please be patient as I get everything updated and loaded, as some functionalities may not be running yet.

Looking forward to updating more!

Cobb #3!

May 18th, 2021

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to update my site as I would have liked. This past year (2020) with the pandemic was absolutely nuts; but it seems like we are finally starting to get back to normal.

Have had some great pickups this past year since my last update; highlighted by ANOTHER signed Cobb T206. This will be the third one I have owned out of the four different variations Cobb has in the epic set. Currently, I have both of the bat on/off shoulder variations signed.

The most recent one being from the fabled “George Sands Collection”. Sands was ahead of his time in getting autographs, especially taking advantage of sending them through the mail to superstars. This particular one is from 1955 as he sent in 5 Cobb’s (bat on/off shoulder, T206 green portrait, red portrait and T205 gold border).

The bat on and off shoulder are certainly my favorite versions of his T206 cards; I prefer “playing” images for cards rather than a portrait (though they are quite stunning for this set). Here, you can see Cobb wielding his weapon as he does his iconic stare towards the pitcher.

Outside of the Cobb, my next big pickup was a signed T206 Speaker. Extremely excited to add this one to my collection to finally upgrade from my signed ‘33 Goudey of his. What I love about Speaker is how he took his time to really appreciate his signature; it truly is a beauty. Can’t go wrong either with the image as well. Glad he signed it over his body rather than the blue background to make it blend in.

Whenever you can get an upgrade for a great price, you can’t complain about that. I had a few ‘38 Goudey Heads Up Doerr signed rookies, but they were in pretty beat up condition. I am very excited to upgrade to this one in great condition that presents better when in hand. Unfortunately, this is a later in life signature so a tad shaky and not the cartoon version.

In August, the single greatest signed Goudey collection finally hit the auction block through Wheatland Auctions; the Uncle Jimmy Collection, highlighted by SIX signed Goudey Babe Ruth’s, the finest ever known. Here is what Sports Collectors Digest had to say about this historic collection.

It is an absolute honor to have been able to add three of these cards from this iconic collection; Rabbit Marranville, Goose Goslin, Lefty Gomez and Jim Bottomley. These were all big upgrades for me.

The Goudey upgrade run continued with this beautiful Freddie Lindstrom.

I wouldn’t necessarily say this is an upgrade per say, but it is a very cool card because of the inscription Bunning added for his perfect game.

While he is not a Hall of Famer, he will go down in baseball lore for unfortunate reasons. On June 2nd 1925 would go down in baseball infamy as Wally Pipp had removed himself from the starting lineup due to a headache and double vision from being hit in the head two days prior.

The man who replaced him; Lou Gehrig. This was his second game of his historic 2,130 consecutive games played (the previous night he appeared as a pinch hitter, this was his first start at first base). After that, Pipp never saw the starting lineup again.

Presented here is an extremely scarce 1927 Exhibits signed in his typical beautiful script.

2nd Best Pickup EVER!

Well, I must admit, I am not that good at keeping my site updated lol. Unfortunately with the lock-down/quarantine in place, I now have no excuses to not update it.

Without further ado, here is the best pickup of the year:

2019 was an absolute whirlwind, in the best possible way. I was able to get some MONSTROUS cards. Here are my highlights from 2019:

As you can see, it was a pretty damn good year! The most difficult were definitely the Mathews and Heilmann. I didn’t expect to get them this soon because they are seldom seen, especially the Mathews. Speaker is right up there and who can go wrong with the stunning yellow background to go with the vintage fountain pen signature. Happy to have added Grover and check that one off of my list as well. Also, I was able to get a very tough 2009 Bowman Chrome Gold refractor autographed rookie card of Mike Trout, as well as some BGS Gem X-Fractors and base chrome autographs.

Yep…Just got my SECOND signed Cobb T206. But, it was short lived as Cobb was involved in a MASSIVE trade...But, before that, here is a fun picture of the brothers together:

Sadly, they didn’t get to be together for too long, as the Green Portrait ended up being traded for some Hall of Fame arms; signed T206’s of Walter Johnson and Cy Young! Enjoy:

While it certainly sucks that I don’t have the Green Portrait anymore, I am on Cloud 9 with these. My good friend, Paul, has had these in his collection forever and we were finally able to make out a deal; all in needed was to get the Cobb to trade. It was not a straight up trade and there were other pieces involved that we won’t be disclosing.

Cobb #1!

December 19th, 2018

So sorry for the lack of updates, but trust me, this one is worth it. One of my ‘grail’ cards has been a Ty Cobb signed T206. I was an under-bidder for one 3 years ago and hadn’t seen one for sale; until Novembers Robert Edwards Auctions. The EXACT SAME COBB I was the under-bidder went up for sale, so I had to have her. It seemed like destiny brought her back to me.

I won the Cobb, and I also won an very historic Connie Mack 1887 Old Judge autographed card as well as an Elmer Flick signed T206.

Enjoy!

Best Pickup EVER!

july 6th, 2017

Well, it has been a crazy past year, my friends. Just three months ago, I got the most important pickup of my life; my sweet little daughter Elsie :).

As you can see, she's clearly more important than a picture of an old-dead guy on a piece of cardboard :).

Now! On to the card pickups! It sure as hell has been an historic year for me in vintage cards as well as modern. You will see my updates below through the last year that I had missed including, starting with the Robinson's at the bottom.

Well, not a baseball card and I don't card because technically it's an Hall of Fame Autographed Rookie Card :).