Offered here is one of the most interesting pieces we have ever handled: Reggie Jackson's personal notebook chronicling the negotiations that took place between the Major League Baseball Players Association and the Major League owners prior to the 1981 baseball strike. Jackson was the New York Yankees player representative at the time and this notebook offers a unique first-hand account of the issues being fought over, as well as Jackson's perspective on the situation. Jackson's signature (last name only) appears just once in the book (on the first page where he lists the last name of each player representative present at the union meeting), but PSA has determined that all the writing in the notebook is in Jackson's hand. The first thirty-three pages of the notebook feature handwritten notes, both in pencil and ink.

The general theme expressed in Jackson's notes is the owners' unwillingness to negotiate in good faith. Towards the end of the notebook Jackson writes "16 weeks of mtg and we have nothing. (same songs) (same tactics) (They've offered nothing and made many demands). They feel they can break the backs of the players assoc." Shortly thereafter, Jackson's notes reference the timing of a strike: "On or after Apr 1st except for opening day. Greatest economic impact end of (May). Most opportune time to strike." The last page reads "Must show Marvin some strength + give him some support. Marvin says he must have an overwhelming ratification." As we know, the Players Association did strike on June 12th, which marked the fourth work stoppage since 1972. The strike lasted until July 31st and resulted in the cancellation of 713 games. While the main issue in the 1981 negotiations concerned free agency and compensation to teams who lost free agents, there were many other minor points fought over, nearly all of which are mentioned here in Jackson's notes. It should also be noted that Marvin Miller (Executive Director of the MLB Players Association) and Donald Fehr (MLB Players Association general counsel) are mentioned several times by name in the book. This is a fascinating look at one of the most contentious MLB labor feuds in baseball history from the singular perspective of a player representative.

Full LOA from PSA. (PSA has provided an LOA for the first page of the notebook only, certifying the signature and handwriting on that page as Jackson's. PSA did examine each page of the notebook and determined that it was all in Jackson's hand, but it would have been cost-prohibitive to obtain an individual LOA for each page. As a matter of policy, PSA would not provide a single letter for the entire notebook.)