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When the collection was in its early stages New York Mets scout Harry Minor looked through it and only somewhat jokingly remarked that it was terribly incomplete because it lacked the autograph of Casey Stengel. A longtime friend of Stengel, Minor often drove Stengel to games late in life and served as pallbearer at Stengel’s funeral. To rectify the collection’s glaring shortcomings, Minor donated some pieces related to Stengel including this autographed 1964 Topps card.

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Also coming from New York scout Harry Minor is this paper baseball that bears the skipper’s image and autograph. Certainly better known for his ten pennants and seven World Series triumphs with the Yankees, Stengel was also the first manager of the expansion Mets from 1962-1965. Elected to the Hall the year after he retired as the Mets pilot, Stengel’s seven championship rings as a manager leaves him tied with Joe McCarthy for the most in big league history.

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The reverse of the paper baseball details some of the highlights of Casey Stengel’s association with baseball. It reads, “Manager New York Yankees 1949-1960. Won 10 pennants and 7 World Series with New York Yankees. Only manager to win 5 consecutive World Series 1949-1953. Played outfield 1912-1925 with Brooklyn, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New York, and Boston N.L. teams. Managed Brooklyn 1934-1936.Boston Braves 1938-1943, New York Mets 1962-1965.”

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In the collection is this original telegram from longtime Yankee executive Bob Fishel congratulating Casey Stengel on his inclusion to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Dated March 9, 1966 it reads, “Your unanimous election to the Hall of Fame certainly comes as no surprise to us. You belong there. Heartiest congratulations on the achievement. Bob Fishel”.

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Harry Minor is a baseball lifer. The first scout elected to the Mets Hall of Fame, Minor scouted for more than a half-century including 44 years with the Mets. After perusing this collection of autographs of Hall of Famers more than twenty years ago, Minor saw a glaring weakness: no signature of Casey Stengel. Using colorful yet endearing language, Minor asked for the address of the collector so he could rectify the Stengel omission. Shown here is the handwritten letter from July of 1996 from Harry Minor, one of the nicest men the game has ever known.

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Five decades of scouting builds perseverance. In Harry Minor’s first attempt to mail the items related to Casey Stengel, the envelope was returned because of an an insufficient address. Instead of mailing it again, Minor simply waited until the collector was back in the Dodger press box writing for ESPN SportsTicker. Minor’s son Bob is also a scout, proud to carry on the family tradition.

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No manager in the history of the game won more World Series championships than Casey Stengel. In the collection is a congratulatory letter from Baseball Commissioner Albert B. “Happy” Chandler dated less than three weeks after Stengel’s Yankees vanquished the Brooklyn Dodgers. It was the first of five consecutive Yankee titles under Stengel. In 12 years with the Yanks, Stengel would tally ten American League pennants and seven World Championships. Chandler writes to Stengel’s home address in Glendale, California.

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Casey Stengel and wife Edna made Glendale, California their off-season home, living their throughout their adulthood. In fact there’s a Stengel Field located in north Glendale that plays host to Crescenta Valley High School and Glendale Community College. In this wire photo dated October 17, 1949 Casey and Edna are seen in the back of a convertible waving to the adoring people of Glendale. The photo is dated one week before the previous letter sent by Commissioner Happy Chandler to the Stengels’ home in that city.

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One of the perks of the position as Commissioner of Baseball is interacting with former players. In this letter dated May 8, 1969 Bowie Kuhn writes to Casey Stengel inviting him to Baseball’s centennial saying in part, “It is with extreme pleasure that I extend to you an invitation to be my guest at the Centennial celebration in Washington, D.C….”. The rest of the letter is worth reading in this correspondence between two Hall of Famers.