
Yogi Berra is regarded as one of the the greatest catchers in baseball history. The 18-time All Star earned ten World Series rings as a player.
Berra enjoyed quite a run from 1950-1956. Each of those seven seasons he finished in the top three in MVP voting, winning the award three times. The Yankees appeared in the World Series every year, winning it each season except 1955.
In the collection is this letter from Berra regarding a 1953 endorsement deal. Cigarettes were all the rage in 50’s and Chesterfield was the brand of choice for much of baseball including Yankee catcher Berra.
In this letter Berra writes, “Enclosed please find the two agreements for the Chesterfield contract. In reply to your note, I do smoke and my brand is Chesterfield.”
At the bottom the Yankee catcher has signed his more legal name, “Larry Berra” in favor of his nickname “Yogi”.