This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 12/10/2004.
Dizzy Dean was the premier, unstoppable pitcher of his time, and despite having pitched in only six full Major League seasons, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1953. A key member of the World Champion "Gas House Gang" Cardinals, from 1933-1936 he managed to win 102 games while maintaining a .258 batting average! Along with his brother Paul "Daffy" Dean, the pair consistently teamed up for over 45 victories a season. In 1934 Dizzy won 30 games and beat the Tigers twice in the World Series, including a decisive seventh game shutout. Dean was the MVP in 1934, and an All-Star from 1934-1937. After retirement, Dean went into broadcasting on baseball's "Game Of The Week," continuing as a sportscaster for the next 20 years. Dean passed away in 1974. We offer his 1931 restored contract with Cardinals paying him $400 a month, a year in which he won 26 games and struck out 303 with their Houston minor league affiliate (he was a rookie with the Cardinals in 1932, having been signed in 1930). The contract is signed by him "Jerome Herman Dean" and by then NL President John Heydler. Note that it is also signed by Dean's father, as Dean was under 21 at the time. The contract shows light water staining, but it takes nothing away from this rare historical item. The signature rates an 8 and comes with a letter from PSA/DNA.