"Shoeless" Joe Jackson & Pete Rose Signed Dual Cut Autograph 1/1 from Historic Autographs (PSA)

We are proud to offer this auction with no reserve price!

This 1/1 dual cut autograph card from Historic Autographs features an incredibly rare autograph from "Shoeless" Joe Jackson (D 1951). The card, from the "Why The Hall Not?" set, also features the signature of Pete Rose.

"Shoeless" Joe Jackson was known to have been illiterate making this piece a once in a lifetime piece of baseball history. Only a small handful of Jackson signatures have ever hit the market.

In 1911, his rookie season with the Cleveland Indians, “Shoeless” Joe batted for an astounding .408 average.  This broke the rookie batting average record and still remains the record to this day. In 1915, Joe Jackson was one of the premier hitters in baseball and was traded to the Chicago White Sox.

Jackson became a World Series Champions with the White Sox in 1917, where he hit over .300 in the Series as they beat the New York Giants.  In 1919, Jackson hit over .350 and led his team to another World Series, where the White Sox fell to the Reds in 8 games, and then history enfolded in the most dramatic controversy that the sport has ever seen.

Midway through the following season, a scandal erupted that suggested Joe Jackson, along with 7 other White Sox players took a bribe and had thrown the previous year’s World Series.  The news became a major story in the MLB, and a grand jury was organized to look into the matter.

Jackson’s role in the fixing is controversial to this day.  His stats during the games suggest his overall innocence in the scandal.  He led both teams with a .375 batting average and committed no errors throughout the entire series.  He was actually the only player who hit a home run.  As legend has it, each member in the fixing ring was offered $5,000 to throw the Series.  Apparently, Jackson twice refused the money, but could do little himself to prevent the actions of his teammates.  Jackson was ignored when he tried to bring the matter up with team owner, Charles Comiskey.

The grand jury actually proclaimed all players innocent in 1921, but baseball commissioner, Kenesaw Landis, banned each player for life to preserve the image of the game.  Joe Jackson, though likely innocent, was banned from the game and restricted from future Hall of Fame consideration.

Pete Rose was another branded champion of the game.  After a fantastic career in which he batted .303, and won 3 World Series and a National League MVP award, Rose was accused of gambling on the sport, including betting on his own team, the Cincinnati Reds, which he also managed for several years.  Although Rose has denied ever betting against his own team, he did admit to betting on baseball and placing bets on his own games.  As such, he received a lifetime ban from baseball and was also placed on the dreaded list of players ineligible for the Hall of Fame.

The autographs have been authenticated and encapsulated by PSA/DNA for authenticity purposes.

Authentication: PSA Encapsulated

Due to the uniqueness of each item, please refer to the photos provided in this auction. We offer high resolution images of each item rather than a written description of condition.

This item is being shipped from the Pristine Auction warehouse.