Incredibly Rare Grover Cleveland Alexander 1939-1943 Signed Sepia Type I Hall of Fame Plaque Postcard (JSA/PSA) - 1 of Only 2 Known!

• Sold For: $45,510
• Year: 1939
• Auction: 2022 February
• Lot #: 1
• Auction Category: Autographed Baseballs/Flats/Photos

This may well be a $100,000 postcard. Here"s why: Back in 2017, Huggins & Scott had the honor of selling an Alexander signed 1944-45 Albertype Type I postcard for a record-shattering $80,000. By hobby standards, 5 years was an eternity ago. The price of all rare vintage autographs has since skyrocketed—and it"s been especially true with HOF plaque postcards as collectors claw tooth and nail for the holy grail of a complete 50-card signed set. Alexander is, and always has been, that elusive pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Only a handful of completists will ever have a shot at fulfilling their quest due entirely to Old Pete. More exclusive yet, there are just TWO known examples of the earliest, best, most desirable kind that you see before you now: 1939-43 Sepia Type I. The other sole survivor is documented in JSA"s files as having never hit the auction block but rather selling privately for an undisclosed sum. How did Alexander reach such rarefied air? Following his 1939 induction at Cooperstown, the legend"s final years were plagued by alcoholism and destitution. He entered several sanitariums, to no avail, and his health rapidly declined after a 1945 heart attack and 1947 injuries sustained from an epileptic seizure. Plus he suffered cancer on his right ear. All this is to say that Alexander had little time or interest in signing plaque postcards prior to his death in November 1950. "I"m in the Hall of Fame...and I"m proud to be there," Alexander said in 1944, "but I can"t eat the Hall of Fame." Sad but true, he became something of a forgotten man to the public at large until his legacy was resurrected by Ronald Reagan in the 1952 biopic The Winning Team. Though condition is practically moot with a treasure such as this, we"re pleased to report that Alexander"s signature boasts robust "8" strength on a crisp card bearing only minor corner wear/toning from mounting tabs. Full LOA from JSA. Encapsulated as "Authentic" by PSA/DNA.