Eddie Cicotte 1919 Black Sox Autographed 3x5 Card

Pricing & History

Sold for
Start Free Trial or Sign In to see what it's worth.
Sold Date
Source eBay

This week, I am auctioning off several higher end autographs from my personal collection. Note that most do not have the PSA or JSA Certificates of Authenticity. I had a number of items authenticated several years back by Global for a very reasonable cost. You will see some of these with the items in this weeks auction. I have now used JSA for some of my items but, typically not the higher end items due to the added cost for many items I obtained in person. I have chosen NOT to spend the money on having these items authenticated since I know they are real. It makes no sense to pay more for a Mantle, DiMaggio, Williams certificate than I paid for the actual autograph. I am confident that they will pass any authentication you choose. You are bidding on an autographed mint 3x5 card signed by Chicago White Sox legend Eddie Cicotte. Part of an older collection I obtained years back...comes with a Global COA .....item comes from my personal collection obtained over the past 40 years! Cicotte was the son of Ambrose Cicotte (1843–1894) and Archange Mary Drouillard (1843–1909), both of mainly French-Canadian extraction. His father's early death is said to have pushed Cicotte to excel and be very protective of his family. He married Rose Ellen Freer (1885–1958), daughter of Russell John Freer (1852–1932) and Annie Cecile Thornton (1863–192 8), both of whom would later live with the Cicottes. They had two daughters, Rose (born 1906) and Virginia (1916–1992), and one son, Edward Jr. (1919–1992).Career Cicotte was a starting pitcher and a knuckleball specialist who won 208 games and lost 149 over the course of a 14-year career pitching for the Detroit Tigers , Boston Red Sox , and White Sox . At the time of his lifetime ban, he was considered one of the premier pitchers in the American League.A Detroit native, Cicotte played baseball in Georgia in 1905, where he was a teammate of Ty Cobb . Both players were purchased by the Tigers, and Cicotte made his big-league debut on September 3, 1905. Pitching in three games for Detroit, Cicotte compiled a 1-1 record with a 3.50 ERA .Cicotte didn't return to the major leagues again until 1908, when he resurfaced with the Red Sox. After he compiled a 41-48 record in a Boston uniform, the Red Sox sold him to the White Sox on July 22, 1912.Cicotte celebrated a breakout year in 1913, going 18-12 on the season with an ERA of 1.58. He went on to lead the league in winning percentage in 1916. But his best year was 1917, when he won 28 games and led the league in wins, ERA, and innings pitched . On April 14 he threw a no hitter against the St. Louis Browns . That year, the White Sox went to the World Series, defeating the New York Giants 4 games to 2. Cicotte won Game 1, lost Game 3, and pitched six innings of relief in Game 5 for a no-decision.Injuries reduced Cicotte to a 12-19 record in 1918, but in 1919, he rebounded to win 29 games and once again lead the league in wins, winning percentage, and innings pitched, as well as in complete games . His 1919 salary was $6,000, but he had a provision for a $10,000 bonus if he won 30 games. Legend has it that as the season drew to a close, owner Charles Comiskey ordered manager Kid Gleason to bench Cicotte, denying him a chance at a 30-win season and the bonus money. Some have speculated this was his motivation for participating in the fix , although the facts do not appear to support this conclusion. (See Black Sox scandal .) Scandal However, the book Eight Men Out by Eliot Asinof and the movie based on the book does record that Cicotte, despite being grossly underpaid for a pitcher of his ability, resisted repeated attempts by Chick Gandil to get him to throw the series until just days before the World Series opened when it became clear that Comiskey would never pay him even part of the promised bonus. The fact that the offer price for the fix exactly matched the promised bonus, lends credibility to this version of events.In the 1919 World Series against the Reds, Cicotte pitched in thre... read more

Items in the Price Guide are obtained exclusively from licensors and partners solely for our members’ research needs.

Flag item for content or copyright

If this item contains incorrect or inappropriate information please contact us here to flag it for review.

If you are the originator/copyright holder of this photo/item and would prefer it be excluded from our community, contact us here for removal.