Negro Leagues Players Letters Collection

Collection

Identifier: MSSP_0012

Staff Only
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Content Description

15 letters and cards written and signed by former Negro Leagues players responding to autograph collector Joel Meltzer. The correspondence ranges from small cards to multi-page letters. The authors of many letters discuss the best players they faced, answer other questions, and sometimes provide biographical details. Many letters reference photos or cards signed by the players for Meltzer. None of the letters, however, are accompanied by any signed memorabilia. There are also no envelopes or letters from Meltzer in the collection. Several of the letter writers ask for more money or for donations in exchange for autographs.

Dates

Creation: c. 1991-95

Conditions Governing Access

There are no access restrictions on this collection.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright status for collection materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Biographical / Historical

Starting in the 1970s, the historical Negro Leagues—segregated professional and semi-professional baseball teams for African Americans during the first half of the twentieth century—attracted renewed interest. Fans and collectors sought artifacts and memorabilia from the defunct leagues, and autographs seekers increasingly tried to acquire signatures from players who had played in the Negro Leagues. Many collectors mailed authograph requests directly to the former players they could locate.

Little information is available about autograph collector Joel Meltzer.