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1930 Lou Gehrig New York Yankees Payroll Check - PSA/DNA - Rare Henry Louis Gehrig Signature!

Sold For: $30,000
Year: 1930
Auction: 2018 Fall
Lot #: 10
Auction: Autographed Baseballs/Flats/Photos
New York Yankees payroll check, dated April 30, 1930, issued to, and endorsed by, Hall of Fame first baseman Lou Gehrig. PSA/DNA has encapsulated the check and certified the signature as "Authentic." The check, issued by "The American League Baseball Club of New York, Inc., is made out to "Henry Louis Gehrig" in the amount of $2,198.38. It has been signed on the front in black fountain pen by Yankees team owner "Jacob Ruppert" (grading "8") and countersigned along the left border by general manager "E. G. Barrow" ("10"). Signed by "Henry Louis Gehrig" in black fountain pen ("8/9") on the reverse (a few of the bank cancellation stamps and holes touch upon the signature). Lou Gehrig New York Yankees payroll checks are rare. This is the first we have ever offered, and we can only recall having seen four others at auction in the past 15 years. (It should be noted that Gehrig personal checks are equally scarce; approximately three or four are known.) While canceled checks have always been a very popular area of collecting, the fact that this check is signed with Gehrig’s full name (“Henry Louis Gehrig”) provides an additional distinction and significant dimension of interest. Gehrig normally only signed his full name on checks or contracts, both of which are seldom seen. Interestingly, of the five Gehrig payroll checks we have seen, four date from the 1930 season. As noted by the typed notations on the reverse, the offered check was Gehrig's first of the season (the season began on April 15th; players were paid in semi-monthly installments) and the amount includes a deduction of $183.38 for unspecified travel expenses. The Yankees played seven of their first 11 games on the road in 1930, with April 30th marking the end of three-game road trip in Washington. Gehrig went 0-3 and walked twice in the Yankees' 9-0 win over the Senators that day. The check (9 x 3.25 inches) which has normal bank cancellation stamps and holes (some of which touch upon Gehrig's signature) displays three vertical creases (apparently from long ago being folded and put in a wallet), as well as a diagonal crease in the upper right corner. In Very Good condition overall. One of the rarest of all Hall of Famer checks, and an extraordinary Gehrig signed item. Reserve $10,000. Estimate (open).
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