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traordinary Circa 1920 Lou Gehrig Handwritten High School Notebook with Over 20 "Gehrig" Signatures (PSA)
<p><strong>Earliest known Gehrig signatures - 22 total - </strong><strong style="font-size: 10pt;">Individual LOAs from PSA for every page!</strong></p><p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Offered is one of the most extraordinary Lou Gehrig items we have ever seen: Gehrig's Commerce High School Statistics I workbook featuring thirty pages of handwritten notes and twenty-two "Gehrig" signatures. These are almost certainly the earliest-known Gehrig signatures in the hobby, dating approximately three years prior to his 1923 Major League debut with the New York Yankees.</span></p><p>Lelands is well acquainted with this book, because it first appeared at public auction in our January 1988, sale. It has been consigned to this auction by the original purchaser in 1988, in whose sole possession it has remained since that time. In that regard, it is practically new to the hobby, as it hasn't been seen in over thirty-five years!</p><p>The twenty-two Gehrig signatures in the book are in a number of forms, consisting of the following: "Henry Gehrig" (once), "Gehrig, Henry" (once), "H. Gehrig (twice), and "Gehrig" (eighteen times). Gehrig recorded his notes both in pencil and ink. Accordingly, thirteen of the signatures are in pencil, while the remaining nine are in black fountain pen. Signatures average 7/10 in grade. </p><p>While the number of early Gehrig signatures featured in the book is nothing short of miraculous, equally impressive is the workbook's provenance. The book was saved by Gehrig's course teacher at Commerce High, Ernest H. Koch, Jr., who later presented it in 1942 to Mr. Wagner, who was the baseball coach at Brooklyn Technical High School. At the time of the presentation, Ernest Koch was the chairman of the Applied Mathematics Department and a group advisor at Brooklyn Technical High School. When Koch presented the notebook to Wagner, he included a one-page typed signed letter, dated January 28, 1942, in which he describes in detail the various experiments recorded by Gehrig in the workbook. Koch thought highly of Gehrig as both a student and ballplayer, and he concludes his letter to Wagner by writing "While Lou Gehrig was still a student he was a very good ball player and we predicted he would prove to be a second Babe Ruth. </p><p>The presentation of the workbook from Koch to Wagner in 1942 is further recoded in an accompanying newspaper article published in Brooklyn Technical High School's school newspaper, titled "The Survey." On page one of the February 27, 1942, issue the paper reports on the book, providing in great detail its contents and provenance, as well as including a picture of Gehrig as a member of the New York Yankees. Gehrig, of course, was still in the news at the time because of his tragic death just six months earlier. When Wagner received the book, he wrote both his name and the name "Lou" Gehrig on the cover, below which he affixed a small photo (2.5x5") of Gehrig as a member of the Yankees. The pages (8.5x11"), all of which are graph paper, display heavy wear, which include small edge tears (some repaired with clear tape), folds, and creases. All the pages are bound by means of two round-head fasteners and all could easily be removed if so desired. </p><p><strong>PSA has provided a full LOA for EVERY Page in this book, which would allow for optimal value if one wishes to break up the album and sell the pages individually.</strong></p>
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