Lot # 2110: 1911 Morgan Bulkeley Signed Check - PSA/DNA & JSA

Bank check dated February 26, 1911, signed by Morgan Bulkeley, first president of the National League, in 1876. PSA/DNA has encapsulated the check and certified the signature as "Authentic." Checks signed by Morgan Bulkeley are exceedingly rare. This is just the fifth we have offered in the past 21 years. The check, drawn on the Riggs National Bank of Washington, D.C., is made out to “C. D. Collins” in the amount of $65.25. Signed "M. G. Bulkeley" in black fountain pen along the base. Endorsed in black ink on the reverse. In 1876, when the National League was formed, Bulkeley was elected unanimously as its president. He was previously the president of the Hartford Dark Blues of the National Association. In the league's inaugural season, Bulkeley greatly enhanced the game's image by reducing gambling and drinking, but after one season he left baseball to pursue his interests in business as president of the Aetna Insurance Company. He also entered politics, eventually serving two terms as mayor of Hartford, four years as governor of Connecticut (1889-1893), and six years as a senator (1905-1911). Bulkeley died in 1922 and was elected to the Hall of Fame’s second class, in 1937. The check (7.75 x 2.75 inches), which has normal bank cancellation stamps and holes (most touch upon Bulkeley's signature), displays three vertical folds and light creases. A small portion of another check is affixed to the reverse. In Very Good condition overall. Full LOA from James Spence/JSA.