This week we have some really great items on our advance preview list and even more new acquisitions are listed on our website. http://www.qualityautographs.com or contact us at 800-241-4809 or qualityautographs@msn.com with questions or to place an order. This weeks highlights include items from: Steve Sundra, Harvey Kuenn, Bill Dickey, Joe Namath, and many more. Question on collecting popular teams:Â What teams are the most widely collected and how difficult is it to assemble the signatures of these team members?
This week we begin with what we believe to be the most widely collected team, The 1927 Yankees.
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Manager: HOF–Miller Huggins (d.29)
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Starting eight:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
HOF–Lou Gehrig 1B (d.41)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
HOF–Tony Lazzeri 2B (d.46)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Joe Dugan 3B (d.82)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Mark Koenig SS (d.93)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
HOF–Babe Ruth OF (d.48)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
HOF–Earle Combs OF (d.76)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Bob Meusel OF (d.77)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Pat Collins C (d.60)
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Substitutes:
Ben Bengough (d.68)
Cedric Durst (d.71)
Mike Gazella (d.78)
John Grabowski (d.46)
Ray Morehart (d.89)
Ben Paschal (d.74)
Julian Wera (d.75)
Pitchers:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
HOF–Waite Hoyt (d.84)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
HOF–Herb Pennock (d.48)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Urban Shocker (d.28)
Dutch Ruether (d.70)
George Pipgras (d.86)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Bob Shawkey (d.80)
Wilcy Moore (d.63)
Walter Beall (d.59)
Joe Giard (d.56)
Myles Thomas (d.63)
Coaches:
Chas. O’Leary (d.41)
Art Fletcher (d.50)
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Other:
Eddie Bennett (d.35) – team `mascot`
Don C. Miller-often confused with `Don Miller` of four-horseman fame but a different person who tried out with the team on team-photo day and is pictured in the official 1927 team photo, though he never played a major league game for the 1927 team or any other .
[A. A.] `Doc` Woods-team trainer
HOF-General Manager Ed Barrow (d.53)
Owner Jacob Ruppert (d.39)
*See Note 1
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Since most team collectors attempt to assemble their items on flat items in order to display the completed team together, we will apply the scarcity index key (SIK) below only to our estimate of the total number of signed flat items we have seen for each of the 1927 Yankees:
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SIK-I:Â Extinct (we have never seen one)-none in this category
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SIK-II:Â Extremely Rare (we have seen 1-10)-Bennett and Miller
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SIK-III:Â Very Rare (we have seen 11-25)-Beall, Giard, Grabowski, Shocker, O’Leary, and Woods (**see note 2)
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SIK-IV:Â Rare (we have seen 26-100)-Huggins, Collins, Thomas, and Fletcher
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SIK-V:Â Uncommon (we have seen 101-500)-Lazzeri, Durst, Paschal, Wera, Pennock, Ruether, Moore, Barrow, and Ruppert
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SIK-VI:Â Readily available (deceased with little or no autograph-show or private signing participation but examples are routinely offered in the market largely or primarily due to volume mail responses; check or other document releases; and/or overall widespread collecting of that person during their lifetime)-all else including Ruth and Gehrig (***see note 3)
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SIK-VII:Â Plentiful (deceased but seemingly endless quantities exist from participation in modern shows, private signings, and/or fan-mail responses or a combination
thereof)- N/A
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SIK-VIII:Â living-N/A
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*Note 1:Â There is one additional person who suited up but never played a game with the 1927 team and if any of our readers can provide us with his name and any biographical information on this person, we will publish it for our readers.
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**Note 2:Â Within this category, we have seen more of Shocker, O’Leary, and Grabowski than the others.
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***Note 3: While we know of no member of this team who actually did a modern autograph show, many did live long enough to sign vast quantities of material in private signings and through the mail including Dugan, Koenig, Morehart, Hoyt, Pipgras, and Shawkey. And even though Ruth and Gehrig both died decades earlier and represent two of the most expensive examples for collectors to acquire from this fabled team, both signed plentifully during their lifetimes so finding an example is not a challenge.
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Summary:  One reason this team is so widely collected is that it is possible to readily obtain nearly all of its members. Most of its members are obtainable for a reasonable cost and all of its key members, except perhaps for Shocker, can be obtained if one has the patience and means to acquire them. For the completionist, however, Beall and Giard remain a significant challenge of those on the roster who played in at least one game for this storied team.Â
