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Non-Sport Autographs
12 Lots
 Lot 632. 8” x 10” B&W Photos Signed by 1940s or 1950s Republican Elected Officials. Both vintage autographs are from the collection of Jimmy Bigelow, “The Banjo King,” and his wife, Martha. Personalized to the Bigelows, they come with a Collectible Classics Letter of Authenticity. John W. Bricker, Ohio governor 1939-45, signed the first photo in white. His signature is 8 of 10. Bricker ran unsuccessfully for U.S. vice president in 1944. Subsequently, he served two terms in the U.S. Senate. He died in 1986. In 1955, William C. Cramer became Florida’s first Republican Congressman since Reconstruction. He serviced until 1971 and died in 1983. The photo has a significant chip, which does not affect his signature, in the lower right corner. The signature is a 7. Authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Minimum Bid $25.
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 Lot 633. Photo Signed by Gene Austin, Composer of “My Blue Heaven.” One of the original crooners, and the best of the lot, Austin was one of the most popular singers of the 1920s and 1930s. He influenced the crooners who came later. During his career, he wrote more than 100 songs. None equaled “My Blue Heaven,” which was the second biggest seller among non-holiday records prior to 1955. Austin’s version alone sold 12 millions copies. He sold another 74 million records for RCA Victor. For a number of years, Fats Waller provided his piano accompaniment. Austin died in 1972. His signature is on a 5” x 7” photo that has had the background cut away. The photo is from the personal collection of Jimmy Bigelow, “The Banjo King,” and his wife, Martha, and it is personalized to them. It comes with an LoA from Collectible Classics, along with a copy of a photo that shows Austin at dinner with the Bigelows. The signature is a 6-7 of 10. Authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Minimum Bid $25.
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 Lot 635. Eugene Ormandy, Helen Hayes Autographs. One of the great conductors, Ormandy signed a Philadelphia Orchestra program from the 1975-76 season. Large, bold signature perfect for matting and framing. The signature is about 2” x 5” and beautiful 10 of 10. Ormandy died in 1985. Hayes signed the back of a 1978 “Playbill” program for a tribute to her. The signature is a 9. Known as the “First Lady of the American Theatre,” Hayes died in 1993. LoA from Collectible Classics.
Winning Bid $25.
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 Lot 637. Note Card Signed by Famous Director John Huston and Related Letter. Huston directed such classics at “The Maltese Falcon,” “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre,” “Night of the Iguana,” “The Misfits,” “Prizzi’s Honor,” and “The African Queen.” The list goes on and on…. Born in 1906 Huston died in 1987. His signature is in black sharpie on the outside of a note card, which is about 3” x 4”. Huston’s name also is printed in silver. The signature is 10 of 10. With the signature comes a letter written and signed by Huston’s secretary, Joan Blake. Dated Nov. 2, 1982 with a Puerto Vallarta address, the letter transmits the autograph and expresses appreciation to the recipient for a previous letter. LoA from Collectible Classics.
Winning Bid $35.
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 Lot 639. Autographed Photos of Bandleaders Ted Lewis, Johnny Messner. Both signed 8” x 10” promotional photos. Lewis’ band was one of the most popular in the world in the 1920s and early 1930s. Typically featuring excellent young artists, such as Benny Goodman, Muggsy Spanier and Jimmy Dorsey, the band extensively imitated New Orleans jazz, often adding a humorous twist. Known for his catch phrase “Is Everybody Happy?” Lewis kept his band together through the Great Depression and through the 1950s. He died in 1971. Messner’s band performed primarily in New York in the 1930s and 1940s. He died in 1986. Both signatures are 8s. Both photos are from the personal collection of Jimmy Bigelow, “The Banjo King,” and they are personalized to Bigelow. LoA from Collectible Classics. Authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Winning Bid $25.
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 Lot 640. Liberace Autograph on a “Thank You” Card. Wladziu Valentino Liberace, better known by his last name, was one of the most flamboyant and popular entertainers of the 1950s and 1960s. He died in 1987. His last-name signature inside the card is a 10. Authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Winning Bid $25.
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 Lot 641. David Niven Autograph on a 1957 Check. During an acting career that spanned almost 50 years, Niven typically played the sophisticated Englishman. He gave an outstanding performance as Phileas Fogg in “Around the World in 80 Days,” won a Best Actor Oscar for “Separate Tables” and created memorable roles in “The Guns of Navarone” and “The Pink Panther.” He died in 1983. His signature on the check drawn on a Los Angeles bank is a 10. It is presented with a photo of the actor. Authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Winning Bid $25.
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 Lot 642. Vintage Autograph of Lawrence Tibbett, Great Metropolitan Opera Baritone. Generally regarded among the best of the classical baritones, Tibbett was a leading performer at the Met from the mid-1920s through the 1930s. An excellent actor, he was successful in films too. He performed also for radio, television and Broadway audiences. Perhaps his most lasting contribution is his co-founding, with violinist Jascha Heifetz, of the American Guild of Musical Artists, which looks out for the interests of classical musicians. He died in 1960. Tibbett’s autograph is a personalized 10, dated 1944, on a 7” x 8” photo with some surface loss that only minimally affects the singer’s image. The photo is from the personal collection of Jimmy Bigelow, “The Banjo King.” It comes with an LoA from Collectible Classics. Authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Minimum Bid $25.
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 Lot 643. 18 Photos Autographed by Entertainers of the 1920s-40s. These vintage autographs are from the collection of Jimmy Bigelow, “The Banjo King,” and his wife, Martha. Personalized to the Bigelows, they come with a Collectible Classics Letter of Authenticity. The autographs are on 8” x 10” b&w photos unless otherwise noted. Perhaps most recognizable is Yvonne Moray, a Munchkin in “The Wizard of Oz.” She also starred in a 1938 Western, “The Terror of Tiny Town,” and appeared in “Confessions of an Opium Eater” in 1962. She apparently died in the 1970s. Her signature is 8 of 10 on a g photo dated 1942. In the 1920s and 1930s, Lee Sims was one of the piano players who transformed ragtime into popular music. Early in his career, he made piano rolls for the United States Piano Roll Co. Later, he performed with his wife, singer Ilomay Bailey. Both signed a photo that is rough at the edges with a vg+ image area. His signature is 8-9, and hers, 9-10. Sims died in 1966. Majorie Knapp appeared on Broadway in productions in the early 1940s. Her signature, dated 1942, is a 9-10 on a g photo with surface loss primarily at the top outside the image area. In the 1940s and 1950s, Paul Remos appeared on stage, in movies and then on tv with two violin-playing midgets known as the “Toy Boys.” His signature is a 10 on a photo of him and the boys. The photo is rough around the edges and otherwise g-vg. Chester “Bobo” Barnett was a widely known and respected circus clown. In 1946, an ad in Billboard promoted him as the highest-paid clown in the country. He appeared a number of times on the “Ed Sullivan Show.” His signature is very light but readable on a vg photo that shows him in standard clothing. A 1942 g-vg photo is signed in white by Phil King, a member of the Cappy Barra Boys, a 1930s-40s harmonica act that played big band arrangements. The group also performed on radio and in movies. King’s signature is a 10. The remaining photos average g. They are signed by Bon Giovani (barely readable), Aurelia Celinda (signed “Celinda,” 7, Havana photo), “The 4 Merrills,” Pax Rooney Sr., (2 photos, one signature 9-10, the other a 2), Jose Marescale (3 ½” x 5” color photo, siged “Jose,” 9), “Salud, Dinero y (and) Amor, ‘Gonzalez Trio’” (8-9), Maarcya and Rene Gunsett (10) and the Beverly Twins “all twin orchestra” (multiple, very light signatures). There also is a photo signed by a comedian named Paul, and photos that appear to be signed by L Ho Waiy and Jose Mojure. LoA from Collectible Classics.
Winning Bid $45.
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