(LOT 26)
Highly-Coveted "Grover Cleveland Alexander" Single-Signed Spalding Baseball – Signed in 1928 – Full PSA & JSA LOAs
As the above-mentioned story clearly implies, our sincere compliments to the Helbing family for presenting us and our illustrious hobby with this magnificent single-signed "G.C. Alexander" baseball, originally scripted in 1928. One of the most sought-after single signed balls extant, the most advance autograph collectors highly pursue this extremely rare Alexander scripted offering that seldom surfaces in the hobby. His ultra-scarce signature on the sweet spot exhibits approximate "6" strength with no glaring flaws to the flowing black fountain pen script. The Spalding Official League ball portrays the standard toning affiliated with any 89-year old baseball, a majority of the original black stampings are clearly legible and the tightly wound red/green stitching is completely intact. Any signed Alexander relic is highly desirable, let alone a significantly obscure single-signed horsehide sphere.

To fully comprehend the stature of this world-class offering, you need to understand the player himself. The legendary Grover Cleveland Alexander is tied with Christy Mathewson for the National League's most lifetime victories with 373 wins, and arguably strung together three of the greatest successive pitching seasons in Major League history. From 1915 thru 1917, he tallied 30 or more wins, and in each of those seasons captured the NL pitching Triple-Crown by leading the league in wins, strikeouts and E.R.A! No wonder he is considered one of the greatest pitchers to ever toe the rubber, and this incredible autographed baseball is the perfect testament to his unbridled legacy. Unfortunately for Alexander, in WWI a shell exploded near him causing some hearing loss and triggering a life-longed battle with epilepsy.

While he continued his career with some success after returning from the war, he was never the same pitcher, experiencing frequent epileptic seizures and drinking issues that both plagued him until his death in 1950 at the early age of 63. His untimely passing and constant physical/emotional issues justify why his autograph on any collectible are tough to locate, let alone a single-signed baseball that rarely surfaces for the taking. A remarkable heirloom from the Helbing family, it literally "turns back the clock" to a bygone era when the sheer passion of obtaining a legendary player's autograph such as Harry Helbing's quest for this breathtaking collectible outdistanced its monetary satisfaction! - Full PSA & JSA LOAs

MIN BID $2,500
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