Mickey Cochrane Handwritten 1945 World War II Letter to His Wife.
Lot 146. Mickey Cochrane Handwritten 1945 World War II Letter to His Wife. Cochrane was only 34 in 1937 when a pitch from Bump Hadley fractured his skull and ended his Hall of Fame Major League career. Several months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, Cochrane enlisted in the U.S. Navy. The head injury limited his service options, and he was assigned to the Great Lakes Naval Training Center near Chicago, where he oversaw physical training for recruits and coached the facility’s baseball team. Later, he served near San Francisco. In the letter to his wife, which was mailed on May 7, 1945, Cochrane writes that he is awaiting orders. Otherwise, the two-page letter deals with personal matters and contacts with friends and acquaintances. Cochrane signed the letter as “Mike,” his preferred nickname. The signature and writing in the letter are mint 9 to gem mint 10. His signature is on the envelope in the return address as “G. S. Cochrane” (for Gordon Stanley) followed by “Lt. Cmdr.” and his local address. There are stains on his name and address. In effect, his signature appears a third time because he addressed the enveloped to Mrs. “Gordon S. Cochrane.” This version is nm 7 to nm-m 8 with a couple of small, very light smudges. Cochrane was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1947. He died in 1962. “The Sporting News” ranked him 65th among the best 100 baseball players of the 20th century. Winning Bid $182.
