These post cards come to us courtesy of Maria, one of our office staff, who tells us that during the 1950's her late husband, Ralph, worked on a laundry truck, delivering to a nursing facility in Connecticut. Living there, at the time, was a youngster with the improbable name, of "Bing Cherry".

We don't know much about Bing, except that in 1947 and 1948, he sent out requests for major league baseball players to autograph self-addressed penny postcards and, as you can see, lots of players honored those requests. Unfortunately, at some point during Ralph's laundry truck tenure, Bing passed away and his treasures, including these postcards, were actually tossed out with the trash.

But that was laundry delivery day, and as Ralph pulled into the loading dock, he noticed the sad pile of discarded toys and the envelope marked, "Brooklyn Dodgers". Looking inside, Ralph discovered Bing's collection which still remains in his family, today.

So here, in tribute, is a page dedicated to Ralph, who rescued the collection, and to all the great players who took the time to autograph the cards, and to Bing Cherry, himself, who lovingly saved and protected this little bit of baseball history. And thanks to Maria for sharing it with us.
Although his envelope contained more than just Brooklyn Dodger
autographs, Bing did limit his collection to the National League.
Jackie Robinson (Bklyn Dodgers)
Stan Musial (Cardinals)
Front of the postcard that bears Robinson's autograph. The
LA postmark seems to forecast the disaster that befell Brooklyn
several years later when the Dodgers moved west.
Bing's envelope also contained a clue to yet another
calamity that loomed in Brooklyn's future. The youngster's
collection had autographs from both Ralph Branca and
Bobby Thomson, the two men forever linked by "the shot
heard 'round the world", often called baseball's most famous
home run.

Branca, the Dodgers' pitcher in the last game of the 1951
National League pennant race, got tagged by Thomson's
HR which sent the NY Giants to the World Series, crushing
the Dodgers' hopes and creating a controversy about "sign
stealing" which survives into the 21st century.
A card full of Cardinals - 1947 Red Schoendienst,
Johnny Grodzicki, Stan Musial, Joe Medwick,
George Munger, Del Rice, Al Brazle and Marty Marion
Harry Walker (St.L), Pee Wee Reese (B'klyn's Captain),
Marty Marion (St.L), Sid Gordon, (NY Giants), Billy Cox (B'klyn),
Bill Voiselle (Boston Braves)
Bruce Edwards (B'klyn), Nippy Jones (St.L), Pete Reiser (B'klyn),
Carl Furillo (B'klyn), Johnny "Spider" Jorgenson (B'klyn),
Harry Brecheen (St.L)
Joe Garagiola (Cardinals) , Enos Slaughter (Cardinals), Willard Marshall (NY Giants)
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