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THBHistoric 1965 Satchel Paige Signed Kansas City Athletics Player Contract - His Last One, Oldest to Appear in MLB Game at 59 Years Old! - PSA/DNA LOA
Timed Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Bid Increments
| Price | Bid Increment |
|---|---|
| $200 | $25 |
| $500 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $100 |
| $3,000 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $2,000 |
| $30,000 | $2,500 |
| $50,000 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 | $25,000 |
| $500,000 | $50,000 |
| $1,000,000 | $100,000 |
| $1,500,000 | $150,000 |
About Auction
TimedMar 19, 2025 - Apr 5, 2025
SCP Auctions, Inc. customerservice@scpauctions.com
View Full Catalog (500)
- Lot Description
Featured here is one of the most extraordinary and significant contracts in professional sports history. In 1965, Kansas City Athletics owner Charlie Finley did his best Bill Veeck impersonation by signing 59-year-old Satchel Paige and starting him against the Boston Red Sox in the team’s second-to-last home game of the season. After a twelve-year MLB hiatus spent barnstorming and toiling in the minors, the Negro-League legend became the oldest player ever to appear in a Major League game on September 25th at Municipal Stadium in Kansas City.
Before the game, Paige captivated fans as he sat in a rocking chair in the bullpen with a nurse by his side. When his time came to take the mound, the tall and lanky 6’ 3” right-hander proved why he will always be revered as one of the greatest pitchers of all time. A two-out double by Carl Yastrzemski in the first was the only hit Paige allowed in three scoreless innings. He struck out one and did not walk a batter, recording nine outs with ease like a man 30 years his younger. The A's would go on to lose 5-2, but the 9,289 in attendance that Saturday evening had to marvel at what they witnessed. Satchel was six years away from receiving social security checks, and yet he seemed to defy age and logic about what is humanly possible.
This four-page uniform player contract, dated September 10, 1965, is executed between Satchel Paige and the Kansas City Athletics (a division of Charles O. Finley & Co., Inc.) with the signatures of "Leroy Satchel Paige" and Athletics' general manager Hank Peters, both in distinct blue ink. Additionally, it bears the blue ink signature of then-American League president Joe Cronin, who formally approved the contract on September 22, 1965. The one-year agreement stipulates that Paige would be compensated $4,000 for his services, as detailed in a specific clause indicating that payment was to occur over the remainder of the 1965 season.
Not only was Satchel Paige the greatest pitcher in Negro League history, but he also became one of the biggest MLB attractions during his 1948-53 tenure with Bill Veeck’s Clevland Indians and St. Louis Browns – by then well past his prime in his 40s. Paige solidified his legacy in 1971 by becoming the third African American inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame (after Jackie Robinson and Roy Campanella). Known for his many Yogi-isms, Paige once said, “Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”Hall of Fame player contracts rarely surface, and those representing a rookie debut, milestone accomplishment, or historical moment like this are extremely coveted. This is the only Satchel Paige player contract we have ever handled. In fact, research indicates that it’s his only official MLB player contract known to exist. (In 2015, it auctioned for $48,000.) There is no record of any Paige signed player contract surviving from that period. All that has surfaced are those from the Negro Leagues, Puerto Rican Winter Ball or barnstorming. The museum-worthy document folds out, with each page measuring a standard 8.5” by 11”. Despite having two horizontal folds, it remains exceptionally well-preserved and comes with a full LOA from PSA/DNA.
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