Memory Lane Inc. | The Leader in Vintage Sports Cards & Collectibles
PSA/DNA & JSA/James Spence LOAs
No baseball player signature is arguably more exalted than the ultra-rare script of "Shoeless" Joe Jackson with only a handful of the iconic Jackson autograph surfacing in the hobby every several years. The near-absence of any "Shoeless" Joe signatures is due to his well-documented illiteracy that made it excruciatingly difficult for him to sign his name.
For that reason alone, Jackson signatures are near impossible to find, with the few known specimens depicting horrific penmanship/shakiness on legal related documents, vouchers/checks or album pages/cuts. Indeed, finding a baseball portraying the exalted Joe Jackson autograph is an extremely daunting task with only a handful of Jackson scripted baseballs surfacing in the hobby.
This is due to the fact that signing even a flat piece of paper was a painstaking chore for "Shoeless Joe", let alone scripting a rounded horsehide sphere. Courtesy of Memory Lane, presented here just happens to be one of the most miraculous "Shoeless Joe" mementos extant, a c.1920 scripted Official Ban Johnson American League baseball portraying an unfathomable Joe Jackson autograph as well as a signature of his likewise banned teammate Buck Weaver!
While Joe Jackson's ever-elusive signature is somewhat faded, it is still very legible, residing directly between the Ban Johnson facsimile signature stamp and the tightly wound red/blue stitching. A considerably bolder Buck Weaver autograph is affixed to an adjacent panel, presenting conservative "5" strength with both signatures scripted in period style black fountain pen.
While the ball itself projects the expected standard toning and/or soiling, a majority of the horsehide surface and tightly wound stitching is intact and reflects no obtrusive blemishes. The PSA/DNA LOA indicates a "4" total grade that includes a "5" assessment for the baseball itself; a "2" grade for the Jackson script; and a "5" assessment for the Weaver signature.
Most significantly, this world-class offering includes a critical 2007 letter of provenance from the grandson of a Cleveland policeman (Dunn Field) who was responsible for security at the Indian's by-gone Municipal Stadium. The letter elaborates on how Mr. Field built many personal relationships with the Indians players, one of which was the legendary Tris Speaker who he firmly believes convinced "Shoeless Joe" to reluctantly sign this revered sphere.
A critical concept and additional superlative of this baseball is that it also displays as a Joe Jackson "single signed" ball. When the Joe Jackson signed panel is positioned straight at the viewer, the Buck Weaver script on the adjacent panel cannot be seen.
This is a monumental aspect considering of the few known Jackson baseballs, to the best of our knowledge, this is the only such specimen that offers that highly coveted attribute. It is no secret that among the most sophisticated autograph collectors, a "single-signed" baseball stands as its foremost characteristic, and it is highly unlikely that another Joe Jackson signed ball displaying as a "single" will surface in the near future.
Amazingly, this offering dates to only a single season after the Chicago White Sox would turn the baseball world upside down via the assumed guilt of eight momentous players including the immortal "Shoeless" Joe Jackson and Buck Weaver. For all of the grandest moments in our National Pastime's glorious history, sadly enough, the one that has left one of the most indelible marks on the game itself is the immortal 1919 "Black Sox" Scandal that absolutely "rocked" the baseball world. The "Faith of Fifty Million People" was originally compromised when Chick Gandil was approached by an Arnold Rothstein sponsored Chicago thug with the intent of "paying off" White Sox players to "throw away" the 1919 World Series against Cincinnati.
After Gandil met seven of his teammates at the distinguished Ansonia Hotel on September 21st to promote his idea, the "fix" was in. Prompting some of the players to accept such a dishonest arrangement were the deep pockets of their beyond "cheap" owner Charles Comiskey who actually initiated the "Black Sox" nickname in 1918 by continuously having his players don dirty uniforms to avoid excessive laundry bills. The names of the" infamous eight" will forever linger on: "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, Buck Weaver, Ed Cicotte, Chick Gandil, Claude "Lefty" Williams, Swede Risberg, Fred McMullin and Hap Felsch.
In light of our esteemed judicial system, we will never know with 100% certainty whether all eight players were guilty of throwing the 1919 World Series, especially considering all eight players were ultimately acquitted in a court of law. Yet, their "alleged" guilt was enough for Judge Landis who in 1920 forever banned all eight players from playing professional baseball and declaring: "Regardless of the verdict of juries, no player who throws a baseball game, no player who undertakes or promises to throw a baseball game, no player that sits in conference with a bunch of crooked gamblers where the ways and means of throwing a game are discussed and does not promptly tell his club about it, will ever play professional baseball".
Baseball history was now carved in stone, with the entire scenario now belonging to the ages. In lieu of the 1919 "Black Sox" scandal's immense historical significance, we cannot imagine a more fitting testament for that momentous occurrence than this incredibly scarce baseball that exhibits the ever-elusive scripts of both the legendary Joe Jackson and Buck Weaver. Ironically, both Jackson and Weaver were the White Sox two leading hitters in the Series, with Weaver relentlessly writing Judge Landis for years to come and literally "begging" the ultra-stern commissioner to reinstate him. Landis never budged from his position, with Weaver's claim that he was not part of the scandal falling upon deaf ears.
While Buck Weaver enjoyed a superb career, Joe Jackson's legacy stands in a virtual "league of its own" and is surely destined to outlast eternity. The iconic name of "Shoeless Joe" will forever live in baseball infamy, with Jackson's resounding diamond exploits nearly unparalleled within our National Pastime's storied past. Considered by many as one of baseball's greatest hitters ever, Joe Jackson's legacy commenced long before he competed in his first Major League game with the Philadelphia A's in 1908. Playing with the minor league Greenville club in the Carolina Association, Jackson developed painful blisters due to breaking in a new pair of spikes. The next game he played without shoes with only his black stockings covering his feet.
During the game as he rounded third base after hitting a long home run, one fan finally noticed and shouted "you shoeless sonofagun"! A sportswriter picked up on this, printed it the next day, and the legend of "Shoeless" Joe was born. After entering the Major Leagues, Jackson's hitting dominance continued to emerge for both the Cleveland and Chicago American clubs to the tune of a .356 lifetime average, including an amazing .408 average his first full Major League season (1911) with the Cleveland Indians. This run was tragically cut short when Jackson was banned from baseball forever for, allegedly, taking part in throwing the 1919 World Series.
In lieu of this issue, Jackson was never placed in the HOF; however, due to the "Black Sox" scandal, his popularity has increased profoundly. Joe Jackson's iconic stature will "echo for eternity" with able assistance from the many nicknames and slogans he is famous for including the aforementioned "Shoeless" saga, the "Say it ain't so Joe" quote when a young fan hollered this at Jackson when leaving the courtroom, and the majestic "Black Betsy" bat drenched in tobacco juice he used so often to scorch a baseball, arguably, harder than anyone who ever played the game. Ty Cobb insisted Jackson was the finest natural hitter he ever saw, Babe Ruth modeled his swing after him, and a myriad of players claimed, if you closed your eyes, you can always recognize the unique "crack of the bat" of Jackson smacking a baseball.
For all of these reasons, Jackson carries as much weight in the memorabilia market, if not more than any other player, and what better heirloom to own than this extremely rare signed Joe Jackson baseball that likewise includes the "tough to find" signature of the legendary Buck Weaver. The most advanced autograph collectors are saddled with the daunting task of ultimately capturing ANY Joe Jackson signature, let alone one that was penned in his immortal hand on an official A.L. baseball. For all of those reasons, we highly advise any sophisticated autograph or Joe Jackson enthusiast to seize this extraordinary heirloom that will unquestionably provide incomparable bragging rights to its fortunate new owner as well as unlimited investment potential.
What this baseball does is effectively transcend time back to a tumultuous era when the "Black Sox Eight" became dangerously close to destroying our National Pastime via their gambling exploits. In closing, every so often a treasured artifact surfaces that prompts even an elite enthusiast to literally "skip a beat", with this extremely rare Joe Jackson and Buck Weaver scripted baseball arguably standing as one of the foremost Joe Jackson and/or Black Sox keepsakes on the planet! – PSA/DNA & JSA/James Spence Full LOAs