Pele’ Autograph signed Umbro Sportswear promotional card

Description: Between late ‘88 and mid 89 I was working in a Rockefeller Center office building as a Local 3 apprentice for Pem Electric. One day I was told to take a particular elevator to a certain floor where I had to switch elevator banks, etcetera, as those buildings are interconnected, and meet another crew to work with for a few weeks. It turned out to be a big, open, clean and bare empty concrete floor. Bare except for one remaining section of a finished interior wall that had real nice large prints in stylish frames of Pele’ (RIP) shaking hands with Presidents Ford, Carter, Reagan, the Pope, and maybe another one or two, probably Nixon, behind a secretary’s desk. While I’ve never followed soccer, I was ten in 75 and well remember all the promotion around His joining the Cosmos ; i knew it was Pele’ in those photographs. “What’s the story here ? ” “This used to be Pele’s office”. Wow. So a few days later I’m on my shins working in a floor cell. no one else is around. Something catches the corner of my eye from across the floor. It’s Pele’ coming in my direction ! with this long sloping kind of gait, i remember, sport jacket and slacks. My instincts did not fail me : without a single thought I immediately put my pliers and screwdriver down and made a bee line for Him. When I reached Him and in the same motion and instant turned to walk back in direction with Him, He already met and had His arm around me with a big smile on his face ! Like it was choreographed. Just us. I was 23. “Can I have an autograph ?” He brought me to that secretary desk and took this thin, smoothe, postcard size Umbro promotion card out of a drawer. It could not have been any better ! ‘Good luck’ wasn’t uncommon with His signature, apparently, but personalized ones do seem to be. The premise (or presumption) that personalization devalues autographs doesn’t make sense to me. I prefer them that way. Along with ‘good luck’, it’s even more by His own hand. I remember Him signing it on the desk with a sharpie, but not His speaking voice. That was it. On another day that same week, myself and my journeyman partner were doing something in Pele’s working office where He had a desk, that must have been on the floor above or below the one where the previously mentioned secretary’s desk was, all cluttered, and there was Pele’ stuff i imagine people sent Him to sign : an lp of music he composed, maybe a book in Spanish, i can’t remember what else. It may have been that He shared this office with the sportswriter Allie Sherman, or it could have been that we met Mr Sherman in another office nearby. I had no idea whatsoever who Allie Sherman was, but my partner was older and did. Mr Sherman was an especially kind guy and began signing a stationary paper for me as if I asked for it ! I didn’t want him to feel bad or embarrassed so I took it and thanked him graciously. With the Pele’ autograph I always knew what I had, and fortunately stored it in the middle of a book that kept it in sharp tact, until ….. no later than 2000, when I learned about, bought, and then began to mount my paper memorabilia items in acid free archival scrapbooks. Especially this card. So I got it in late 88/89, kept it in the middle of a book until around 2000, and since then it has been in an archival preservation scrapbook : It Really hasn’t seen very much daylight since the day i got it. Still, it is 35 years old now, so there is a slight degree of foxing (browniing),or an oxidation that occurs naturally to pictures (depending on the chemical composition of the card and ink. it’s pretty complex to read about). there is also a very small spot or two, and something tiny that’s raised slightly (top left reverse side), that I’d all rate, regard as inconsequential, and they’re each on the back anyway. Definitely nothing I'm about to risk trying to remove or smoothe over, nor would it even be worth doing. these degradations force me to down grade it’s condition to Excellent, from the Near Mint that I was going to rate it before taking it out to photograph and having a close look after some years and seeing the back side. It has never been displayed, thumb tacked to a wall, or subject to light for an extended period of time. Surprisingly I still have, and while digging around for something else happened to find in a box the stationary that Allie Sherman signed for me too that same week. I collect (and very much value) autographs and could never have imagined myself selling or now listing such a prized piece, no, but by now, though, months after His passing; while the experience of having met Him is a valuable memory and all, the autographed card just may mean enough to a true soccer or Pele’ fan that they might buy it. At this valuation I have no expectations. It does seem to be the best, though, on a larger, seemingly unique Umbro promotion card, and such a bright medium that is also providing the greatest contrast of black marker on white background. Along with a rock solid storied provenance, this is the most bold example of a Pele’ autograph from the hundreds that I’ve viewed online. A SALE WOULD BE FINAL : I ain’t offering or accepting any return. Simply so that there would be zero risk of it arriving back damaged, or problems otherwise. No. What you see is what you get. International sales seem to have an assured return policy, and so for that reason I will not agree to an international sale. No. If somebody is interested in buying it but has any doubts at all, you must resolve them beforehand. Or choose another one of the thousand Pele’ autographs listed, and hope that it’s authentic. I WILL NOT gamble with such a valued possession. I would drive it to the local po if it’s somewhere i can possibly get to in a car I am perfectly willing to have it authenticated by whatever agency for someone who is seriously interested that has a need for that, at a fare somewhere, that I could attend to it in person

Price: 65432.1 USD

Location: Pennsylvania

End Time: 2025-01-06T21:38:19.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 USD