Norwood Gibson Autograph and Handwritten Letter – 1903-06 Boston Americans Pitcher.
Lot 107. Norwood Gibson Autograph and Handwritten Letter – 1903-06 Boston Americans Pitcher. Gibson’s two-page (front and back) handwritten letter contains fantastic baseball content. After graduating in 1900 from Notre Dame with a degree in chemistry, Gibson played for several Midwestern teams. In 1902, he pitched two no-hitters for the Kansas City Blue Stockings of the Western League. In four seasons with Boston (1903-06), he won 34 games, lost 32 and compiled a 2.93 ERA and 258 strikeouts. In 72 starts, he pitched 56 complete games. In 1903, he contributed 13 victories to the successful regular season of the team that won the first World Series; however, he did not appear in the Series. Arm problems limited his effectiveness beginning in 1905, and the Americans released him in 1906. Subsequently, he became a professor of general and analytic chemistry at Wabash College in Indiana. Apparently in the mid-to-late 1910s, he joined the Curtiss Candy Co. in Chicago as a chemist. In 1921, Curtiss began producing the Baby Ruth candy bar. Gibson’s letter is neatly written on 7.25” x 10.5” stationery of the New National Hotel in Peoria, IL. In it, he recounts in detail a game in which his manager, Hall of Famer Jimmy Collins, used him, a right-handed batter, to pinch hit for Jesse Tannehill, a left-hander, against right-handed pitcher Chief Bender. Gibson hit a ball to the wall to knock in a run. He then pitched and earned a save in the 5-3 win. Gibson also discusses the uniform style that Boston wore during his time. And he offers pitching advice to the son of the letter’s recipient, who apparently was writing an article for “Baseball Magazine.” Gibson has signed the letter twice with his initials, “N.R.G.” The letter is accompanied by an autographed note signed with his full name on a 3” x 5”. Mint 9 autograph. Undated, the letter likely was written in the 1940s, or possibly the 1950s. The hotel stationery has an address with a zone number, which the USPS used from 1943-63. Gibson worked at the hotel as a desk clerk later in his life. He died in 1959. Two pieces connected with early 1900s baseball. PSA/DNA Pre-Certified. Winning Bid $185.
