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In the collection is this document assigning Hall of Fame pitcher Dazzy Vance to the minor leagues, three seasons before Vance’s first MLB win. Hall of Famer Jacob Ruppert has signed the bottom of the page in his capacity as Yankee owner. Before Vance found fame with Brooklyn he was a fringe prospect with the Yankees. The document transfers Vance’s contract from New York to Sacramento’s PCL team, the Solons. Signed and dated February 20,1919, this is a rare look into the Hall of Fame pitcher’s career before he reached stardom. Vance’s signature on the reverse of the document can be found by clicking here.

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Joe DiMaggio was a a four-year veteran of the Pacific Coast League when Ed Barrow came calling on behalf of Jacob Ruppert’s Yankees. DiMaggio was playing for his hometown San Francisco Seals, coming off a 1935 season in which he hit .398. It would take a lot to persuade the young DiMaggio to leave a seemingly perfect situation.

Ruppert armed his man with enough financial inducements to make DiMaggio a Yankee. Barrow swaggered in with a $25,000 contract offer and the rest is history. DiMaggio’s calm presence and outstanding play ensured another successful era as Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig wound down their careers.

In this photo, the smiling pair shakes hands. DiMaggio has signed this boldly across his chest.

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In the collection is a payroll check made out to Tony Lazzeri signed by Hall of Famers Jacob Ruppert, Ed Barrow, and Lazzeri. Lazzeri was enjoying another outstanding year when this was written on August 15th, 1930. He posted a career high 121 runs batted in during the 1930 campaign and hit over .300 for the fourth consecutive season. Ruppert and Barrow have boldly signed the front of the check.

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This document from July 11, 1919 boasts the signatures of two members of the Hall of Fame — Jacob Ruppert and Roger Bresnahan, the man often credited with inventing shin guards for catchers. Bresnahan represents a difficult signature as he died in December of 1944. After a 17-year career as a player ended in 1915, Roger Bresnahan kept close ties to the game until 1931. Among the roles he fulfilled was owner of the Toledo Mud Hens. It was in this capacity that Bresnahan affixed his signature to this contract from July 11, 1919.

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A nice closeup of the signatures of Roger Bresnahan and Jacob Ruppert is shown here. Christy Mathewson’s longtime battery mate, Bresnahan amassed 1,252 career hits and a .279 lifetime average. He also served as player/manager for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1909-1912 and the Chicago Cubs in his last season as a player in 1915. Bresnahan died on December 4, 1944, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1945.

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In the collection is the the 1925 contract for Pee Wee Wanninger. Ed Barrow has signed, “Jacob Ruppert”, the name of the Yankee president who was supposed to have signed at the bottom. This was a common practice as Barrow signed Ruppert’s name to a number of contracts.

What sets this contract apart is that it’s for Paul “Pee Wee” Wanninger, the man who had a hand in starting and stopping two of the most prolific consecutive games streaks in the history of baseball.

Cal Ripken holds the all-time record for consecutive games played with 2,632. Second on the list is Lou Gehrig with 2,130; third is Everett Scott with 1,307. Pee Wee Wanninger is tied to both men behind Ripken.

In the 1925 season a 32-year old Scott was slipping at shortstop and at the plate. When Yankee manager Miller Huggins saw fit to bench Scott and end the streak, he turned to the rookie Wanninger. On May 5th, 1925 Wanninger started in place of Scott to end what is still the third longest run in MLB history.

Four weeks later Huggins called on 22-year old Lou Gehrig to pinch hit for Wanninger in what would be the start of Gehrig’s own streak.

This document sends Wanninger to the minor leagues for the entire 1924 campaign, the year before he’d be involved in the two streaks.