(LOT 1833)
Scarce Alexander Cartwright Autographed Document Cut - Beckett LOA
In 1953, the United States Congress officially decreed that the true founder of baseball was Alexander Cartwright. And though recent discoveries have debunked the magnitude of his influence, Alexander Cartwright's establishment of the New York Knickerbocker Base Ball Club in 1847 was a bellwether moment in the history of the game. Playing at the famed Elysian Fields in Hoboken, New Jersey, the Knickerbockers and other teams, like the Gotham Base Ball Club, helped develop the early aspects of the game and evolved the game to what we see played every day in today's day and age. Alexander Cartwright, while a pioneer of our national pastime, also had his sights of the West during the gold rush in the mid-to-late 1800s drawing him to California to find his fortune.

He eventually landed in Hawaii in 1849, where he would live from the remainder of his life, and became the first fire chief of Honolulu, spending 13 years at that post. Offered here is a, Alexander Cartwright cut-signed document from May 4th, 1881. Cartwright's prominent calligraphic signature, graded 10 strength by Beckett Authentication, engulfs the bottom left portion of the (8-1/4" x 3-1/4") document, taking up about 1/5 of the overall size. Penned in black fountain pen, the signature highlights the document segment that also features the signature of "L W Pauki", also in black fountain. This attractive and ultra-scarce autograph from one of baseball's pioneers highly sought-after and this ornately penned signature, indicative of the time, is well-worthy of a prominent spot in an HOF autograph collection! Beckett LOA included.

MIN BID $1,000
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