Autograph collectors can be resourceful, searching in many different places for the signature of their targets. In this letter Giants owner Horace Stoneham writes to a collector, “I regret we haven’t anything here with Christy Mathewson’s signature. As a suggestion, your friend might write to Mrs. Mathewson in Lewisburg, Pa. I understand in the past she has been able to answer similar requests by tearing his signature from old canceled checks which she had saved, and it is possible she may still have some on hand.”

Imagine the ingenuity and commitment this collector had to contact the team that Matty last played for in 1916, some 46 years earlier.

Charles Stoneham presided over the New York and later San Francisco Giants for more than 40 years, guiding them in their move west. Shown here on letterhead listing Stoneham as team president is a nice note accepting an invitation to the “Gang Dinner” on July 3, 1962 in honor of Casey Stengel. The ’62 campaign would be kind on San Francisco as they won the National League pennant before dropping to the Yankees in Game 7 of the World Series. Interesting to note Chub Feeney listed on the letterhead as the team’s vice president.

In this document dated March 29, 1942 Horace Stoneham assigns the contract of career minor leaguer Wayne Kistler to Fort Smith of the Western Association. Stoneham was in his sixth season as president of the Giants after inheriting the title when his father passed away in 1936. The electronic age has cut back on the use of paper world wide. Before that, collectors enjoyed the chance to collect handwritten letters, telegrams, and documents like this that reassign players’ contracts to different clubs. This document was executed three months after the bombing of Peal Harbor.

George “Highpockets” Kelly played for the New York Giants from 1915-1926, winning back-to-back World Series in 1921 and 1922. Forty years after the ’22 championship Kelly accepted Horace Stoneham’s invitation to the Old Timer’s Game in San Fransisco. After the event, Kelly wrote this letter to Stoneham, writing in part, “It was a real thrill…to meet the players and their wives who we haven’t seen in years. Kelly also tells Stoneham that the eventual 1962 NL Champs seem to be doing well. Perhaps the high point of the letter comes as then-66 year old Kelly says, “Don’t tell anyone but the biggest thrill I got out of the Old Timers Day was to put on the Giants uniform again.”

After receiving George Kelly’s letter, Horace Stoneham was compelled to respond. Shown here is a file copy of that correspondence. Stoneham writes, “Thanks so much for your gracious note. I am so pleased that you enjoyed the “day” and our get-together. It was wonderful having so many of the older friends with us again, and I am happy that you and (wife) Helen could join us.”

Among the other telegrams that Warren Spahn received is this example from San Francisco Giants owner Horace Stoneham. “Warmest congratulations on your 300th victory. It rates as one of the All-Time pitching records though we both know you won more than half of them from the Giants. All the very best of luck on the next 300.” Spahn would conclude his stories career in 1964 pitching for Stoneham’s Giants.