WHAT: A 1914 Chicago White Sox contract for player Ed Walsh sold last year for $50,363 in a Robert Edward (REA) auction.
MORE: Collecting baseball memorabilia is not just about sport cards, game worn uniforms or signed equipment. These days, serious fans look beyond traditional categories to seek out unusual — and hopefully less competitive —areas. Walsh’s 1914 contract is a perfect example of this.
The excellent condition contract sold with a letter of provenance from the Veeck family. When future Hall of Fame executive Bill Veeck purchased the White Sox from the Comiskey family in 1958, he acquired all of the club’s old files and contracts. Signed in black fountain pen by the player, by Chas A. Comiskey (then White Sox owner), and B. B. Johnson (American League president), the one-year contract guaranteed to pay Walsh a total of $6,000.
SMART COLLECTORS KNOW: The authentic Comiskey signature adds value, as most of his business papers were ghost signed by a staffer.
HOT TIP: Any sports signature, on whatever matrix, must be thoroughly vetted by a professional authority recognized in the genre. Too many are fakes.
BOTTOM LINE: Significant because it is linked to an early Hall of Fame pitcher (Walsh was inducted in 1946), the contract is also unusual because it was signed on opening day in 1914, when Walsh was already past his prime.
