Extraordinary, and possibly unique, 1939 inaugural Baseball Hall of Fame induction program signed by ALL ELEVEN living inductees present that day, plus several other prominent guests. The eleven inductee signatures are those of Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb (who has signed the program twice), Walter Johnson, Honus Wagner, Cy Young, Tris Speaker, Grover Alexander, Nap Lajoie, George Sisler, Eddie Collins, and Connie Mack.

This is the ONLY 1939 Hall of Fame induction program we have ever seen featuring the signatures of all eleven living inductees, making it one of the rarest and most significant signed pieces dating from that historic day. Its rarity notwithstanding, this program is especially noteworthy due to its remarkable provenance and the fact that each inductee has signed the program atop his respective photo. Ten of the eleven inductee signatures appear on page thirteen, while the signature of Connie Mack appears on the facing page twelve. Each signature has been beautifully scripted in blue fountain or black fountain pen and grades 9/10 on average. The remaining twelve signatures featured in the program are those of Mel Ott, Lefty Grove, Arky Vaughan, Hooks Wiltse, Johnny Vander Meer, Lloyd Waner, Ford Frick, Bill Jurges, Bob Quinn, Eddie Brannick, Morrie Arnovich, and one other (illegible). All but three of the signatures appear on pages twelve and thirteen, which makes the piece perfect for display if one wishes to have it framed. It must be noted that Ty Cobb has signed the piece twice; once upon his image and again directly above. The reason Cobb signed the piece is directly related to its provenance. 

Our consignor's parents, who were engaged at the time, attended the dedication of the Baseball Hall of Fame on June 12, 1939, and this program has remained a family heirloom since that day. According to our consignor, his mother and father each purchased a program and set out to obtain the signatures of the players and luminaries they met. Although most of the players were accessible to the fans, only his mother was able to obtain the signatures of all eleven living inductees. Cobb was the toughest to obtain, because he arrived late to the ceremony. In our consignor's own words: 

My mother and her fiancé wanted to collect all the autographs of the living HOF players while at the opening of the HOF. She got autographs from all except for Ty Cobb who was late. In fact, he missed the famous photograph with all the other inductees. My mother waited for Ty Cobb then asked for his autograph. He said yes, but only if she gave him a kiss. (She was a 26-year-old brunette.) She gave him a kiss on the cheek, but as she pulled away, he kissed her. When signing he said ‘well, since I got two kisses, I’ll sign it twice.’ Thus, the ‘Double Ty’ signature.

We have seen very few items signed by all eleven living 1939 Hall of Fame inductees, and of those few, most of have been baseballs. The most recent example sold by Lelands appeared as Lot 1 in our 2019 Spring Classic auction, where it realized a final sales price of $236,389. As we noted earlier, we have never seen a 1939 Hall of Fame induction program signed by all eleven. However, a near-complete program, signed by ten of the eleven living inductees, commanded a price of $113,525 at auction in 2016 (the signatures were scattered throughout the program, not all together as on the offered program). This is simply the finest 1939 Hall of Fame signed induction program in the hobby and one that would be the cornerstone of any advanced Hall of Fame autograph collection. As further provenance for the piece, our consignor has also consigned to this auction (as a separate lot) the ticket stub, souvenir ashtray, and first-day cover obtained by his parents on that day. 

The program (8.5x11") is well worn. The covers are detached and appear to have been split in two along the spine. Vintage brown tape has been applied to the spine and on both the exterior and interior portions of both covers in repair/reinforcement to the tears. The interior pages remain firmly bound by the original staples, but display a moderate vertical fold, as well as small edge tears to several pages. The program is partially scored in pencil for the first three innings of the inaugural Hall of Fame game, which was between two teams of Major League all-stars managed, respectively, by Honus Wagner and Eddie Collins. Full LOA from PSA. 

Estimated domestic USA shipping cost only. Does not include handling or insurance: 35.02 Please feel free to contact us for a more accurate shipping cost.