Here’s Christy Mathewson’s official National League Player’s Contract for the 1903 season, dated September 15, 1902.
Robert Edward Auctions (then a division of MastroNet Inc.) & eBay presented the item in their July 2000 Baseball Cards and Memorabilia auction. Here’s the lot’s description:
Official National League Player’s Contract for the season of 1903 has been signed by Giants owner John T Brush (10/10), Christy Mathewson (signed “Christopher Mathewson”, 10/10), and manager John McGraw (signed “John J. McGraw, 10/10) as a witness. The contract is dated September 15, 1902. When this contract was signed Mathewson had a 34-37 lifetime record and had just finished a 14-17 season. In 1903 he pitched the first of three consecutive 30 game winning seasons, and 12 consecutive seasons of winning between 22 and 37 games per year, including four seasons of thirty or more victories. It is especially significant that then rookie manager John McGraw (who was just about to embark on his first full season as the Giants manager) served as the witness to this signing. McGraw managed Mathewson’s entire career with the Giants and the two are forever linked as the heart and soul of the glory days of the Giants’ Dynasty years during the early twentieth century. An extraordinary document from one of the game’s greatest stars. Very Good to Excellent condition with flawless signatures. LOA.
The contract’s reserve was set at $10,000.
I’m unsure what it sold for, but REA sold Mathewson’s 1902 player’s contract for $41,125 in the spring of 2011, which RRAuction resold in February 2019 for $68,482. Also, Heritage sold Mathewson’s New York Giants rookie contract for $72,000 in August 2020.
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