12.10.2010

Found Treasure

You may have read my Blog Bat-around post from several years ago on my father and his amazing autograph book. It is truly a gem, a rare piece of history. If you haven't read it, go to the link in the right column titled A Father's Tale.

Looking through it recently, I settled on the miscellaneous pieces of paper that had collected in its back pages. There are a variety of autographs, some on the back of an old song sheet, some on my grandfather's business cards. A folded up notebook sheet with some 70's Indians on it, including Jim and Gaylord Perry.

One particular piece never bothered being noticed, more than just a cursory glance, until recently. I took a good, hard look at it. What I thought was Harry something-or-other was this:



I couldn't figure it out until right then. It hit me like a thunderbolt.

Hank Greenberg.

Holy Shitake Mushrooms!!!!!!

I checked quickly on eBay to see if there were any other Hank Greenberg autographs. Sure enough, a few pop up, and there are the telltale signs. The swoopy "H" and the looped and skinny "G"!

There has been a Hank Greenberg autograph in my dad's autograph book for 70 years, the last dozen or so with me, and I didn't even know it! OMG!!! (Sorry, I had to throw that in there. My kids turn 13 on Monday, and I need to keep up with their lingo!)

Has anyone else ever realized that, right under their noses, lies a treasure like this?

2 comments:

Daniel Wilson said...

Wow! That's awesome! Hank Greenberg! Wow!

Hackenbush said...

Um, wow! The closest thing I have is an auto of Dave Winfield from his first month in the majors. It's in my grammar school autograph book and he signed, DAVID Winfield, http://canthavetoomanycards.blogspot.com/2010/03/david-winfield.html. Of course I'd trade it in a heartbeat for the Hank Greenberg.