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Eddie Collins is one of the greatest players in big league history. A career .333 hitter with 3,315 hits and a .424 on-base percentage, Collins was a four-time World Series champion.

After his junior year at Columbia University in 1906, Collins played semi-pro ball under the name Eddie Sullivan. The Ivy Leaguer soon attracted the attention of Connie Mack of the Philadelphia Athletics who signed him to a contract. As Sullivan, Collins appeared in six games with the A’s that season.

Once his professional status was discovered, Collins was declared ineligible yet returned to New York to finish his degree. That summer Collins appeared in 14 games for the Mackmen. In 1908, Collins hit .273 playing second base, shortstop, and all three outfield positions. The following season in 1909 Collins settled in, playing 153 games mostly at second and hit .347.

In the collection is this letter written by Collins dated March 5, 1945. Addressed to a fan in Illinois, Collins outlines how he got his start in baseball. “…I expressed a desire to play baseball when I was finishing college; signed with the Philadelphia Athletics; and after a couple of years of utility work, bench warming, and mostly perseverance and confidence, I earned a regular job on a Major League team.”

Collins’ bold and flowing signature appears at the bottom.

 

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As owner of the Washington Senators, Clark Griffith fielded many offers for trades. In this letter of November 29, 1926 Griffith writes to fellow Hall of Famer Eddie Collins expressing his sorrow that Collins was deposed as manager of the White Sox. With Collins as their second baseman and manager Chicago finished the 1926 campaign with a 81-72 record. The White Sox fired Collins at the end of the season to complete his time as Sox skipper with an overall record of 174-160. Griffith continues his letter asking Collins’ opinion of a possible trade of the Senators’ Roger Peckinpaugh for Chicago White Sox pitcher James Edwards. Collins would certainly have insight having managed Edwards for the last two seasons. Collins replies at the bottom of the letter saying among other things that Edwards, “won’t win 50% of his games”. Collins signs his initials “ETC” at the bottom of the note. Griffith and the Senators did end up trading the 1925 MVP Peckinpaugh to the Sox two months after this letter was written. Instead of getting Edwards, Washington and Chicago agreed on a swap for Leo Magnum and Sloppy Thurston.

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The signature of Eddie Collins is relatively available due to his role as Boston executive from 1933-1946, however documents such as this one with relevance to a historically significant player rarely surface.

Dated January 28, 1936, this agreement assigns 24-year old Babe Dahlgren Jersey City team in Boston’s minor league system. The Yankees would eventually purchase Dahlgren from New York before the 1937 season and groom his as the eventual replacement for Lou Gehrig.

Collins remains the only player in baseball history to amass 3,300 hits in under 10,000 at-bats. His autograph is much sought after by collectors as he is a member of the 3,000 hit club and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1939.

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Eddie Collins and Harry Hooper were teammates with the White Sox from 1921 through 1925. When Hooper was asked to identify his all-time team, he remembered Collins fondly and selected him as the second basemen.

Hooper favored guys he played with for his choices. Though he chose Hall of Fame pitcher Walter Johnson and Cooperstown first baseman George Sisler, most of his other selections were teammates. In addition to Collins, Hooper has Tris Speaker in center, Duffy Lewis in left, Dutch Leonard as the lefty pitcher, and Bill Carrigan at both catcher and manager.

This image shows Hooper’s response to just two of eight questions he answered. The other replies were about how Hooper wants to be remembered, what it means to be in the Hall of Fame, and thoughts about the Black Sox scandal. Those answers can be read by clicking on this link to Hooper’s page.

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The previous letter in which Harry Hooper identified Eddie Collins as his choice as the second baseman on his all-time team arrived in this envelope. Notice Hooper’s signature in the return address portion. The question of his all time team was one of only 8 queries that Hooper wrote about. His insightful reflections about the Black Sox scandal, the feeling of being a Hall of Famer, as well as how he wants to be remembered can be seen on Hooper’s page by clicking here.

Handwritten letters from men who played more than 100 years ago remain highly valued by collectors and fans alike.

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A three-year Major Leaguer in his own right, Eddie Collins Jr. played 132 games, mostly as an outfielder. In the collection is a handwritten letter from the younger Collins remember his father, the Hall of Fame player.

“I remember him mostly as a very fine and loving father rather than a ballplayer,” writes Jr. Indeed, by the time he was born his father had been retired for almost a decade.

The memory of his father might shed light into what made Collins Sr. a great player. “He was enthusiastic about a great many things, loved playing any kind of game, was very competitive, fair, and a fine sportsman.”

Eddie Collins Jr. died November 2, 2000.