1943 World Series program, Cardinals vs Yankees – 17 certified autographs

Description

In 1943, when my father was 14 years old, Vera Brecheen was a friend of his family. Because she was the wife of St. Louis Cardinals pitcher (and 2018 Cards Hall of Fame inductee) Harry Brecheen, Dad asked her if Harry could ask a teammate or two for autographs for him.
The result is up for bid: a program from the 1943 World Series in Sportsman’s Park, St. Louis, signed by 17 of the National League Champion/defending World Champion St. Louis Cardinals. The cover is inscribed, “To Jerry with our best wishes,” and is signed by both Vera and Harry Brecheen.
Inside the program, beside their roster pictures, these 16 Cardinals signed their names using Brecheen’s blue fountain pen:
James O’Dea, catcher
Sam Narron, catcher
Ernest White, pitcher
Al Brazle, pitcher
George Munger, pitcher
Harry “The Cat” Brecheen, pitcher (Cardinals Hall of Famer)
Harry Gumbert, pitcher
Murry Dickson, pitcher
George Fallon, infielder
George “Whitey” Kurowski, infielder
Marty “Slats” Marion, infielder (Cardinals Hall of Famer)
Ray Sanders, infielder
Stan Musial, outfielder (his second year in MLB; first All-Star and NLMVP seasons)
Debs Garms, outfielder
Frank Demaree, outfielder
Infielder Frank “Creepy” Crespi was one of several Cardinals who were away from the team to serve in the military during that wartime series. My dad met him more than 30 years later, and Crespi was kind enough to add his autograph to this same program.
This one-of-a-kind piece of history has been certified as authentic by
Guaranteed Forensic Authenticators
. GFA experts use the latest techniques of forensic examination from the background of law enforcement and fraud prevention, not only sports memorabilia.
To authenticate this program, they began with an ink and medium analysis. All the signatures then underwent a side-by-side autograph analysis comparing each to a minimum of three exemplars by at least two forensic authenticators. Those forensic specialists agreed, independently, that the program and all the signatures are genuine. As a result, this program is offered with GFA’s Examination Letter, Certificate of Authenticity guaranteeing it is genuine, and GFA’s tamper-evident certification number and holographic seal.
My dad is still with us, and at 91, still a die-hard Cardinals fan. He’s ready to share this amazing piece of Redbirds history with another lucky Cards fan out there.