WEBVTT 00:02.000 --> 00:04.800 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% GUEST: This is the day the Hall of Fame opened in Cooperstown, New York, on June 12, 00:04.800 --> 00:09.800 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% 1939. And my grandfather was there. He rode the train from New York City on that day. 00:11.900 --> 00:15.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% It was called the Cavalcade of Baseball. He got the majority of the original inductees' 00:15.433 --> 00:19.233 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% autographs there that day. He told me when I was probably ten years old that he hid 00:19.233 --> 00:24.100 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% in the bathroom after the Old-Timers' Game or the All-Star Game that day. And as they 00:24.100 --> 00:27.133 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% were having the reception, he, I guess he came out of the bathroom and everybody was 00:27.133 --> 00:31.833 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% there. All these greats of baseball at the time were in the reception hall, and he, 00:31.833 --> 00:35.333 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% that's where he got everybody's autograph. That would've been an impressive room to be in. 00:35.333 --> 00:40.300 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% APPRAISER: Country's coming out of the Depression. This meant a lot. College football and baseball. 00:40.966 --> 00:42.933 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% GUEST: Right. 00:42.933 --> 00:45.166 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% APPRAISER: That's, that's what it was all about back then. You've got heroes, 00:45.166 --> 00:46.833 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% you've got titans, you've got guys retiring. Now how are we going to celebrate 'em? Oh, 00:46.833 --> 00:49.466 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% I got it, we'll enshrine them. Whose autograph did he get? 00:49.466 --> 00:54.433 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% GUEST: Well, I guess the most famous one that everybody knows is Babe Ruth. Then there's Walter 00:56.766 --> 00:59.900 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% Johnson, and there's Honus Wagner. And there's Cy Young and Connie Mack. And there's Larry Lajoie 01:02.200 --> 01:06.933 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% and there's Tris Speaker, and... But he never got Ty Cobb's autograph. He wasn't there yet, 01:06.933 --> 01:10.700 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% in that famous picture right here. Ty Cobb's not in that picture. I think as 01:10.700 --> 01:14.300 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% far as autographs go, he's got 80% of them, of those guys right there. 01:14.300 --> 01:18.733 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% APPRAISER: It's a large program, and you had some other signers. They simply weren't as significant 01:18.733 --> 01:23.733 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% as these guys. Everything there is to see and all the autographs there are to have-- but Ty Cobb-- 01:25.966 --> 01:28.866 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% are on this page. Really strong autographs, it's a delicate piece. There's age-induced wear and 01:30.966 --> 01:34.733 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% toning, the kind of thing you expect. How'd your grandfather come to possess the photo? 01:34.733 --> 01:38.766 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% GUEST: Actually, later years, I found out about the photo, and I acquired it. 01:38.766 --> 01:43.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% APPRAISER: What we have here is just a nice image of all the men sitting there that day, 01:43.433 --> 01:47.266 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% enjoying being enshrined, being beloved. You familiar with who's on here? 01:47.266 --> 01:51.300 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% GUEST: Babe Ruth's in the middle, and, and that's Connie Mack sitting beside Babe Ruth. 01:51.300 --> 01:54.833 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% APPRAISER: That's... What's funny is, they, they made Honus stand, he's, he's over on the far left, 01:54.833 --> 01:59.800 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% standing, staring menacingly at Ruth. "Hey, you got my, you got my seat, kid." (laughs) Um, yeah, 02:01.933 --> 02:04.066 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% there's Ruth in the middle, next to Connie Mack. And you got Walter Johnson standing 02:04.066 --> 02:08.833 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% on the far right, as well-- it's a who's who. (laughing) It's a great photo, not original. 02:10.166 --> 02:10.966 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% GUEST: No. APPRAISER: But it's a nice showpiece. 02:10.966 --> 02:12.500 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% GUEST: It is, it is. 02:12.500 --> 02:14.333 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% APPRAISER: On its own, not a lot of value, couple bucks. 02:14.333 --> 02:16.466 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% GUEST: Right, right. 02:16.466 --> 02:19.033 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% APPRAISER: I want to poke fun at you for shellacking this page, and I don't want to 02:19.033 --> 02:23.900 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% name names and who did what. It's not the worst thing you could have done, certainly fire would 02:23.900 --> 02:28.466 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% have been worse, uh, but, uh, we, we weren't a fan of the shellacking. Uh, but that said, 02:28.466 --> 02:32.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% it really hasn't ruined the autographs. (chuckles): In fact, it may have served to 02:32.433 --> 02:37.233 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% preserve at least the Babe Ruth autograph. Uh, you know, moving forward, no more shellacking. 02:37.233 --> 02:40.033 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% GUEST (laughing): Okay. That was Granddad, not me. 02:40.033 --> 02:42.166 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% APPRAISER (laughs): I love the story. I love the "Mission: 02:42.166 --> 02:45.600 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Impossible"... I love that he, that he did everything he could. How, how old was he? 02:45.600 --> 02:49.800 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% GUEST: Uh, at the time? Uh, Granddad? Oh, he's probably 35. 02:49.800 --> 02:52.133 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% APPRAISER: Okay. (laughing) So this is a grown man... 02:52.133 --> 02:53.866 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% GUEST: Yeah, yeah. APPRAISER: ...who's just going to steal 02:53.866 --> 02:55.700 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% away... (both laughing) ...to go get some autographs, I love that. 02:55.700 --> 02:57.733 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% GUEST: Right. 02:57.733 --> 02:59.933 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% APPRAISER: Value. An auction estimate we think a, appropriate for this piece, 02:59.933 --> 03:04.100 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% with all of the autographs-- we're talking about the Centennial, 1939 Cooperstown 03:04.100 --> 03:08.166 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% program-- we think an auction estimate, appropriately, is at $10,000 to $20,000. 03:08.166 --> 03:09.066 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% GUEST: Right. 03:09.066 --> 03:11.000 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% APPRAISER: Okay? 03:11.000 --> 03:14.100 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% GUEST: Insurance-wise, we think a proper insurance value for this is $50,000. 03:14.100 --> 03:15.600 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% GUEST: Interesting. 03:15.600 --> 03:17.600 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% APPRAISER: Okay? 03:17.600 --> 03:19.600 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% GUEST: Yeah. Uh, well, Granddad, this was his, uh, crown jewel. He loved-- he 03:19.600 --> 03:23.000 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% knew he had something special, and he, he loved sharing the stories with us.