HOCKEY’S TOUGHEST SIGNATURES

SOME ARE HALL OF FAMERS. OTHERS ARE LOCAL LEGENDS. BUT THEY ALL HAVE ONE THING IN COMMONS: THEIR AUTOGRAPHS ARE THE ULTIMATE PRIZE FOR SERIOUS COLLECTORS.

Every hockey fan covets an autograph from a favorite player, whether it’s Gordie Howe, Wayne Gretzky or Connor McDavid.

But for serious autograph hounds, there’s one player who is more desirable than all of them put together: Georges Vezina.

That opinion appears to be borne out by the 2017 sale of a Vezina signature for a staggering $30,579.59 – a figure that appears to be the highest price ever paid for a single hockey autograph.

The signature, which was sold by gamewornauctions.net, was part of its second offering of “The Broderick Collection,” a stunning array of vintage Hall Fame autographs.

The auction blurb made it clear how unique this piece was, noting that it was one of “just two or three” Vezina signatures known to be in existence.

“To our knowledge, no Vezina autograph has ever been offered for public sale or at auction,” it read. “Georges

Vezina is the premier autograph in all of hockey and one of the finest in the entire sports world. [It is] the holy grail of hockey autographs.”

And if the scarcity wasn’t enough to set this apart, this example also offered two unique characteristics. According to the auction blurb, the autograph “was signed at Game 1 of the infamous 1919 Stanley Cup Final in Seattle which [was eventually] cancelled due to the deadly flu pandemic” – a provenance attested to by a notation of the back of the signature.

And curiously, Mr. Broderick chose to preserve this treasure not as purchased, but as a cut signature on a handmade custom card.

“These miniature works of art are beautiful presentation pieces in their own right,” the blurb read. “They are truly a sight to behold.”

True enough. But while it does make for a unique collectible, that decision may actually have depressed the sale price. Even at $30K, the signature was a bargain according to one

veteran collector who agreed to speak to Beckett Hockey on the condition he not be identified.

“I can only guess what the original state [of the autograph] was, but I think it would be valued at multiples of what it sold for [as a cut sig],” he said. “I could see a six-figure sale for an example with excellent provenance.”

He agreed that Vezina is the ultimate white whale for autograph collectors.

“I’ve seen [those estimates] that suggest there are just two or three examples in circulation,” he said. “I don’t know where that figure comes from, or if it has any basis in fact, but strictly based on my experience searching for one I’d say that’s probably not too far off. If the number is actually five or even 10, that’s still a ridiculously small quantity and nowhere near enough to meet the demand for one of the most legendary names in hockey history.”

While Vezina is clearly the hobby’s most desirable signature, there are several others who are equally as challenging to acquire.

HOBEY BAKER

Like Vezina, a celebrated trophy keeps Baker’s name front of hobby minds a century a er his playing days ended. Like Vezina, the Princeton star was a member of the inaugural Hockey Hall of Fame class in 1945 (He’s also been honored by the College Football Hall of Fame and the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.)

And like Vezina, Baker rarely signed before he died in December 1918 in the crash of a plane he was testpiloting. He was just 26.

Little wonder then that just two copies of his signature are rumored to be in circulation. One of those, a beautifully scripted “Hobart A. H. Baker” cut sig, was sold for a staggering $11,959 by Classic Auctions back in 2008.

“His ... fountain pen signature was cut from a scrapbook and pasted onto an index card-like 3” by 5” piece, with revealing printing in red ink on the reverse including his name and ‘Class of 1914. Died 1918 During WWI - From Class Scrapbook of Walter J. Wolf.’”

In researching the authenticity of the signature, Classic Auctions confirmed that Wolf was indeed a student at Princeton, and discovered a photo of Baker in a Princeton yearbook that was accompanied by a facsimile signature virtually identical to this one.

More than a decade later, the hobby is waiting for another authentic signature to surface.“e one auctioned by Classic is now worth many times what that buyer paid,” our autograph expert said.

BILL MASTERTON

If you think you’re noticing a pattern here, you’re not wrong. Masterton, like most others on this list, died at an early age. In fact, he’s the only player in NHL history to perish as a direct result of injuries suffered during a game. He sustained massive head injuries a er being hit during a January 13, 1968, contest against the Oakland Seals. Two days later, the 29-year-old passed away without regaining consciousness.

His profile has since been elevated by the creation of the Masterton Trophy, which is presented annually to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.

Although his autograph is nowhere near as scare as that of Vezina or Baker, it still eludes many veteran collectors. A Masterton cut sig/ custom card sold in the Broderick Collection auction for $504.64 in 2017. Two other examples are said to have traded hands in 2018 for $700 and $750.

MICHEL BRIÈRE

He was poised to become the first superstar in Penguins history. Brière scored 75 goals and 161 points in just 55 games with Shawinigan of the Quebec league in 196869, then stepped directly into the NHL after being drafted 26th overall by Pittsburgh. He dazzled teammates and opponents alike with his speed and skill, but almost before his career could take off it was cut tragically short. Brière suffered major head trauma in an offseason car accident and, despite multiple brain surgeries, he remained in a coma for 11 months before succumbing to his injures at the age of 21.

Brière’s untimely passing ensured a limited supply of his signature in the hobby.

Only one cut sig card, 2010-11 Panini Dominion Kindest Cuts #16, has been produced to date. There’s no confirmation of its sale, but other multi-signed items highlighted by his signature sell for $500-$750.

HARVEY PULFORD

Pulford might not have the modern profile of Vezina or Baker, but as one of the nine members of the inaugural Hall of Fame class in 1945, his signature is highly coveted … and not just by hockey collectors.

Pulford’s legacy is one of the most accomplished multi-sport athletes in Canadian history. Along with the four Stanley Cups he earned as captain of the famed Ottawa Silver Seven, he won four national football championships, four lacrosse titles, the Canadian and North American championship in rowing and he was the Eastern Canadian light heavyweight and heavyweight champ between 1896 and 1898.

Despite that unheard of level of success, he rarely signed autographs. Just two copies are known to have traded hands in the past decade with a Broderick cut selling for $3,038.02 in 2017.

“He’s not as sought after as a Vezina or Baker,” our expert said, “but he’s a similar challenge. He’s not out there.”

BOB GASSOFF

A relative unknown compared to most on this list, Gassoff’s signature is in high demand in St.Louis and among the autograph cognoscenti.

Though small by today’s standards, the 5-foot-10, 190-pound defender was one of the toughest enforcers of his day. From 1973-77, Gassoff racked up 866 penalty minutes in just 245 games, becoming one of the most popular players ever to wear the blue note in the process. Sadly, he was killed in an offseason motorcycle accident on teammate Garry Unger’s farm shortly after the 1976-77 season ended. His number three was subsequently retired by the Blues.

Although (or perhaps because) he was so beloved by the fans, Gassoff almost never honored an autograph request. To suggest he was dismissive of hounds might be too polite. As a result, his signature is rarely offered. On very rare occasions though, you might run across a hockey card signed by Gassoff. One sold in minutes via a Buy It Now option on eBay for $599.99 back in 2013. More recently, a signed copy of his 1975-76 Topps #58 RC was posted on eBay with an asking price of $1,000. Although it hadn’t sold at press time, it likely would move quickly at the right price … and with a better photo that actually showed the autograph.

JOSEPH CATTARANICH

Montreal has dressed some of the greatest goaltenders in hockey history, but Cattaranich can boast something that Vezina, Plante, Dryden and Roy can’t: He was the very first keeper for Les Canadiens. At six-foot, 200 pounds, he was a massive presence between the pipes. More importantly, he was an astute judge of talent, and an outstanding businessman as well. He talked the Habs into signing Vezina after playing an exhibition game against his team, and selflessly retired to create a job for the youngster. He went on to serve as the coach and general manger of the Canadiens and, in 1921, bought the team with two partners for the princely sum of $11,000. The Habs went on to win three Cups while he was the boss.

To Canadiens fans and Hall of Fame collectors, Cattaranich is second only to Vezina. Surprisingly, despite a lengthy business career, his signature is almost impossible to acquire. The Broderick Collection example, which sold for $2,757.01 in early 2017 was the first to be offered for sale in recent memory.