Imagine if you were a young artist who enjoyed doing charcoal and pen-and-ink drawings of popular sports figures of your time. Then picture those same athletes liking your work so much that they invited you into their locker rooms and autographed the finished pieces for you.
This surreal and compelling tale happens to be a true one. The artist in question was named Arthur Haas, and he was a sign painter working in New York City during the 1930s, where he was able to cross paths with several of the era's prominent sports figures. Haas had his drawings signed by baseball players like Jimmie Foxx and Honus Wagner, hockey players like Howie Morenz, and even boxing champ Jack Dempsey.
When he passed away at age 87 in 1999, Haas willed the drawings to his daughters. Now two dozen of them are being offered for sale by Hourglass Antiques, a Tampa antique business owned by one of those daughters and her husband.
As Hourglass Antiques explains, even though the pieces are literally unique, they are priced in the range of normal autographed 8-by-10 photos because Haas was an unknown artist. That fact plus the attractiveness of the artwork itself makes the drawings extremely interesting for vintage sports collectors, and if they would be authenticated by a reputable third party, they stand to command even larger values down the road.
Prices range from $135 for Cleveland Indians pitcher Mel Harder and Chicago Cubs (among several other teams) catcher Zack Taylor to $6495 for the Wagner drawing, which was actually signed twice after he realized he initially put his autograph in the wrong place. Hourglass Antiques offers full refunds for any purchase provided the items sold are returned in their original condition.
For more information and a look at all of the drawings, visit the Hourglass Antiques website at www.tias.com/stores/hga/.
