This original 1997 contract signed by Pedro Martínez captures an early chapter in the career of one of baseball’s greatest pitchers. Issued during a pivotal season before his legendary dominance, the document represents the foundation of a Hall of Fame legacy. Authenticated and preserved, it offers collectors a rare, tangible link to Martínez’s rise to greatness.

This unexecuted eight-page contract from 1989-91 offers a fascinating glimpse into the NBA during the late 1980s and early 1990s, centered on Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird. The agreement outlines a salary of $900,000 per season for Bird during the latter stages of his Hall of Fame career, an amount that would equate to roughly forty times that figure in today’s NBA economy. Three pages are dedicated to the 1989 season and another three to the 1990-91 season, each detailing the same compensation structure. The contract also includes two promissory notes, one for each season, further enhancing its historical and collectible significance.

This check was signed by legendary baseball executive Ed Barrow on July 6, 1953, just one day before he was admitted to United Hospital in Port Chester, New York, on July 7, 1953. Barrow, the longtime New York Yankees front office boss and Hall of Famer, made the check out to Kensico Cemetery, the same cemetery in Valhalla, Westchester County, where he would later be interred after his death in December 1953. Barrow’s burial in Kensico places him among many baseball greats and cements his legacy both on and off the field.

Ed Barrow was one of the most influential executives in baseball history and a central architect of the New York Yankees dynasty. As Yankees general manager and later president, he helped build teams that won 14 American League pennants and 10 World Series championships between 1921 and 1945, assembling legends such as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, and Mickey Mantle. Earlier, he also managed the Boston Red Sox to a World Series title in 1918, giving him championships both as a manager and an executive. Barrow’s lasting impact on roster building and organizational structure earned him induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953, the same year this check was written.

This handwritten January 24, 1885 bank check from Alexander Joy Cartwright, widely recognized as the “Father of Baseball”, is made out to business associate M. Paiko for $50. The check remains in fine condition, with Paiko’s endorsement appearing on the reverse. A rare and desirable financial document, it offers a tangible connection to one of the most influential figures in early baseball history.

This rare pre-rookie contract is signed by Hall of Famer Phil Niekro for his 1963–64 winter season with Mayaguez in the Puerto Rican League, predating his legendary 24-year Major League career. The four-page, Spanish-language document details his $700 monthly salary and expenses, and bears a strong “Phillip Niekro” signature in blue ballpoint on page two. The contract shows expected age wear, including light darkening, small stains, filing holes, and a minor fold-line tear, but remains an exceptional early-career artifact from baseball’s greatest knuckleballer.