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Napoleon Lajoie Handwritten Letter and Envelope
This extremely rare letter and envelope sent by the great second sacker Napoleon Lajoie to a friend in Cleveland may be the finest piece of memorabilia around of the man who in his day was a towering presence in that city. Consider that in the 13 years he played with the Indians (1902-15), they went under the name of the Cleveland Naps -- can anyone imagine the Yankees being called the New York Jeters today? Yet no one begrudged him the honor, having transformed the club from a joke to perennial contender while racking up a Triple Crown, 3 batting titles, a .339 lifetime average and flawless 2B play. The 2-page letter to a Mr. Fred Neagele is on stationery of Chicago's Lexington Hotel and dated September 4, 1908. In an impeccable hand, Lajoie wrote in black fountain pen, "Just a few lines this morning to thank you for your kindness to the Mrs. & myself" and that "I will always be at your service if I am of any help to you so don't be afraid to ask." He signed, "Your very truly, Mr. & Mrs. N. Lajoie," adding a bit cryptically that "We certainly did enjoy the machine, broke day I got to Cleveland." Could Naegele have perhaps furnished him with an automobile? Signature is large, bold and gorgeous, a fabulous 9/10 from this legendary HOFer. Each page 6 x 9 1/4" and EX-MT/NRMT with 2 light fold marks but sharp, unflawed edges and corners. The envelope, postmarked Dec. 20, 1909, is a real find, bearing the imprint of Lajoie's "Official Base Ball Guide," at the time the AL's bible, which features an image of Lajoie with the epitaph "Champion Batter of the World." An envelope with this imprint is all but impossible to find, and to boot it has a Lajoie-penned shopping list on the back -- "Electric light," "Bank," "Tickets," "Shoes," "Hat," etc. -- with a check mark next to each item. Envelope is torn open at the left side, just slightly marring the imprint, and is VG. The items come directly from someone who was friends and did business with Lajoie.
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