Collection of thirty-eight 1949 Jimmy Fund Boston Braves die-cut cardboard counter displays, each accompanied by its original manila envelope. This the largest offering of these attractive die-cut signs we have ever seen at auction and they come with the special provenance of having once resided in the personal collection of Braves catcher Phil Masi. These signs were issued as part of a large fundraising campaign by the The Jimmy Fund, a Boston charity for children's cancer research. Each sign sat next to a collection box on a local merchant's counter and, as noted by a label on the reverse, at the end of the fundraising drive, the sign was to be given to the person who made the largest contribution. In addition to the signs, the collection also includes Phil Masi's original script for the radio program that kicked off the fundraising campaign. 

The design of each sign features a photo of the respective player against the background of a large baseball. The text reads "Thank You! in behalf of 'Jimmy'," below which is a facsimile signature of the player. Each die-cut sign measures approximately 9x11" and has an easel back so that it can stand freely. This collection features twenty of the twenty-five signs issued at the time, plus eighteen duplicates. The players MISSING from the set are Jimmy Brown, Bob Hall, Connie Ryan, Eddie Stanky, and Warren Spahn. (The two Warren Spahn examples from this collection are each being offered as individual lots in the auction.) 

Although these signs were never issued, their extremely fragile nature has made them susceptible to damage from just normal handling. As such, eighteen of the signs display minor-to-moderate creasing to some of the thin die-cut protrusions (neck, hand, arm, or bat), with one each of the Rickert and Reiser signs also displaying a small tear to the bat. The remainder remain in outstanding Excellent to Mint condition. 

The complete inventory, with the number of signs for each player (if more than one) noted in parenthesis, is as follows: Antonelli, Barrett, Bickford (2), Conaster (2), Dark (2), B. Elliott (2), G. Elliott (2), Hogue (2), Holmes (2), Masi (2), Reiser (2), Rickert (2), Russell (2), Sain (2), Salkeld (2), Sisti (2), Southworth (2) Thompson (2), Torgeson (2), and Voiselle (2).