This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on:
8/5/2010
In March of 1928, the journalist and esteemed poet Carl Sandburg was spending part of his spring season at the Princess Martha Hotel in St. Petersburg, Florida. While there, he conducted an interview with another famous lodger: baseball legend George Herman “Babe” Ruth. Sandburg’s resulting article, written on March 24, 1928, gave illumination to a number of Ruth’s personal opinions, and revealed the poet’s gentle style in posing his questions.
There was another facet of this unique encounter, an especially interesting component that was not made known to contemporary readers of the Sandburg/Ruth interview: Sandburg had one more task to attend to on the day he talked with Ruth. A close friend and avid autograph collector, Oliver R. Barrett, had requested that Sandburg obtain the Babe’s signature. Sandburg agreed, and also promised to get one for Oliver’s young son, Roger, as well as one for Oliver’s neighbor and fellow collector Al Hannah.
At the conclusion of the Ruth interview, Carl Sandburg asked for the autographs on behalf of his friends, and Ruth, gracious as always, was happy to oblige. The great athlete took a clean sheet of typing paper, folded it into thirds, and centered a bold and clear, black fountain pen signature at the middle of each section.
Sandburg departed from the meeting with all missions accomplished, interview and autographs in hand. The article was quickly dispatched to his newspaper, and the autograph sheet was posted to his friend. A typed letter (included in this offering) accompanied the thrice-signed page; written to Barrett from Sandburg on March 25 from the Princess Martha, it begins, “Enclosed are authentic autographs for you, Roger, and Al Hannah.”
The reason this marvelous sheet was not cut into three pieces and distributed among its intended recipients remains unknown. But the paper remains intact to this day, with its full complement of scriptings readily displayable and its rarity and mystique fully preserved.
This presentation includes:
Babe Ruth Thrice-Signed Sheet – 8-1/2” x 11”, twice-folded as described with small, associated wrinkles, and there is an additional fold at center (affecting one signature). The scriptings are precisely executed, black fountain pen beauties (“8-9”); the topmost example has quotes around the nickname.
Carl Sandburg Signed Letter – 8-1/4” x 10-3/4” on decorative Princess Martha hotel stationery, typewritten and signed “Carl” in black fountain pen (“8”). Directed to Oliver Barrett on March 25, the sometimes cheeky letter reads in full, “Dear Oliver – Enclosed are authentic autographs for you, Roger, and Al Hannah. I am having the Colliers article typed. I will mail it to you this week. The sooner it can go on then, with phtostat (sic) copies, the better for the state of the nation at large and the welfare of mankind in general. When I get back from this trip I will defeat you in either horseshoes or checkers with one hand tied … Luck and blessings [signed] Carl.”
Collier’s Magazine July 7, 1928 Cover and Pages – containing a Carl Sandburg article about autograph collecting, in general, and paying strong reference to examples owned by his friend, Barrett (1873-1950), to craft an entertaining and informative piece. James Madison, Queen Victoria, Zachary Taylor, and Ulysses S. Grant are among the personages noted. Each 10-3/4” x 14” leaf bears a heavy center fold and is toned from long storage.
Photos of Sandburg, Barrett, et al (5) – modern images, 8” x 10” unless noted w/ 1,2) circa 1928 scene showing Barrett, Henry Horner/1933-40 Governor of Illinois and Sandburg pitching horseshoes (as referenced in Sandburg’s letter), one is 8” x 10”, the other is 5-5/8” x 7-5/8”; 3) Sandburg and Barrett, circa 1930; 4) Sandburg and Barrett, circa 1935; 5) Barrett, late 1940s.
Pertinent Chicago Tribune Article, March 15, 1928 – photocopy, wherein Westbrook Pegler delivers a friendly but pointed chastising of Sandburg in advance of the poet’s Ruth interview. Pegler expresses the opinion that Sandberg might unnecessarily focus on the baseball icon’s presumed lack of intellectual worthiness (to the detriment of Ruth’s image) and challenges Sandburg’s worthiness to discuss the sport with the greatest player of them all. (The interview transcript, however, shows that Sandburg was in fact deferential and cordial to his famous subject.) An interesting bit of back-story!
Carl Sandburg/Babe Ruth 1928 Interview Transcript – photocopy, revealing Sandburg’s account of the discussion between the two celebrities.
Carl Sandburg 1950 “Lincoln Collector” Excerpt – photocopy, referencing and identifying Al Hannah.
Full LOA from PSA DNA.