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1939 Martin Dihigo Signed Negro League Contract
One of the truly important Negro League documents extant. Getting Martin Dihigo's signature on this contract was a matter of enormous pride to the denizens of the Puerto Rican Winter League, especally at a salary of fifteen bucks a week! For Dihigo, of course, it wasn't about money. It was about playing ball, anywhere the sun shone. And beginning in 1938, the place to be in the wintertime was under the Puerto Rican sun. The contract, then, is doubly important, as it is one of the few to survive from that first year of the league's operation -- when it was called a "semi-professional league" -- and what better one to survive than that of a man called the best player of all time? Certainly, the contract is an amazing piece of baseball detritus for those who understand that the game did not begin and end in the U.S., and how important he was to those who were being kept out of the big league game because of their color or national origin. The magnificent Cuban, who could and did play every position (sometimes all 9 in one game), signed to play for the Guayama team in this cotract dated January 11, 1939. His signature using his full name of "Martin Dihigo Llanos" is in black pen on page 2 (which backs page 1), above the dotted line designated "Jugador" and under that of league president Enrique J. Anglade. Dihigo signature is a beauty, bold, vivid and with an artful sweep of the first "L" in his surname -- as close to perfection as you'll ever find. Condition of the contract itself is VG-EX with mild browning, some adhesive residue at the top of the 1st page between 2 binder holes, and 3 light fold marks and folding traces on the lower right corner. Attached page was used as the cover for the contract with the league's letterhead, Anglade's signature and the word "Original" stamped diagonally in purple.
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