Excited to have picked up this tough Collins last month. Definitely an underrated set with an amazing check list.

Lefty Grove signed Government Postcard.

A government postcard in sports memorabilia refers to an official post card issued by the U.S. Post Office that fans can send an autograph request to their favorite players. Since these postcards went through the postal system, postmarks often verify the year of the autograph. The Lefty Grove postcard I have signed is dated March 20, 1952.

Lefty Grove is one of the greatest pitchers in history. He led the American League in wins in four separate seasons and strikeouts in 7 consecutive seasons. Grove had the league’s lowest ERA a record 9 times. Grove is a 2x World Series champion with the Philadelphia Athletics and AL MVP in 1931. He finished with 300 wins in his 17 year MLB career.

Lefty Grove was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1947.

Roy Halladay was one of the most dominant and durable pitchers of his era. He led the league in complete games 7 times, most of any pitcher whose career began after 1945. Halladay is a 2x CY Young award winner and an 8x all-star. He pitched a perfect game in May 2010 and pitched a postseason no-hitter in October 2010. Halladay was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first ballot in 2019. He tragically died in a plane crash that he was flying off the coast of Florida at the age of 40.

A government postcard in sports memorabilia collecting refers to an official postal card issued by the U.S. Post Office that fans can send an autograph request to their favorite players. Since these postcards went through the postal system, postmarks often verify the year of the autograph.

The Larry Doby autographed card I have is dated December 5, 1950 and love how Doby inscribed it “Merry Xmas” for the time of year he signed the postcard. The back of the postcard has the return address of the fan who sent the request. It’s a great piece of history.

These postcards are also known as Penny Postcards as they would usually cost a penny to mail them.

Ed Barrow was mostly know as the General Manager/President of the New York Yankees from 1920-1945, credited for building the Yankees dynasty, winning 14 AL pennants and 10 World Series titles. Barrow also managed the Boston Red Sox from 1918-1920 winning the World Series in 1918. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953 and has a plaque in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium.