This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 12/31/2005.
Rare full 8" x 10" "onion skin" letter dated March 24, 1863, handwritten and signed by Alexander Cartwright, who is enshrined in Cooperstown as the inventor of baseball. Letter is in response to a gift that Cartwright received from a fellow collector. The 19th Century "onion skin" technique was used primarily as a means of retaining important correspondence; the ink was administered simultaneously as it bled through the top page and onto this onion skin beneath. The letter grades EX with some creases and chips around the edges, as well as some minor paper splits due to the acidity of the ink at that time. Accompanied by a LOA from James Spence Authentication and another from PSA/DNA.