Lot # 2403: Earl Whitehill Major League Lifetime Silver Pass

Lifetime silver pass issued by Major League Baseball to former pitcher Earl Whitehill (Detroit Tigers, Washington Senators, Cleveland Indians, and Chicago Cubs). The pass reads "The National American Major Leagues of Professional Baseball Present This Lifetime Pass to Earl Whitehill In Appreciation of Long And Meritorious Service." The facsimile signatures of both American League President William Harridge and National League President Ford Frick appear along the base. All of the text is in relief, with the exception of Whitehill’s name, which has been engraved. Produced by "Lambert Bros. Jewelers. N. Y." as noted on the reverse. Lifetime silver passes are scarce. While we do not know the precise year that the practice of issuing lifetime silver passes ended, it appears to have been in the 1950s (Clem Labine's lifetime pass, issued in 1959, which REA sold in its April 2015 auction, was not silver). Whitehill retired in 1939, and Frick ended his tenure as National League president in 1951, so this pass was issued sometime during that time span. The pass (4.25 x 2.75 inches) has light tarnishing.