Joe Jackson was a natural-born hitter. In his rookie year he set a still-standing record for freshmen by hitting .408. It was no fluke.

In more than 5,500 career plate appearances, Jackson hit .356 with a .423 on-base percentage and a .517 slugging percentage. Those numbers rank among the baseball elite.

Despite this, Jackson will never earn a place in Cooperstown.

That possibility was washed away by the 1919 conspiracy to fix the World Series. Eight members of  Charles Comiskey‘s White Sox were either in on the fix or knew about it. All eight were banned for life by Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis

Many have sympathy for Jackson. He hit .375 and tallied 12 hits in the eight-game tilt to tie the single-Series record. The mark stood 45 years until Bobby Richardson eclipsed it. His supporters argue that his stellar play proves he didn’t throw any games.

Jackson remains ineligible for Hall of Fame consideration today more than a century after the memorable Fall Classic.

In the collection is this government postcard from 1949. Jackson received many autograph requests in the mail from fans. Unable to read and write, Jackson has his wife sign his name. Even examples like this one hold value in the collectable market.

Joe Jackson was born in Pickens County, South Carolina in 1887. Soon after his birth, the Jackson family moved a half-hour away to neighboring Greenville.

When Jackson reached the big leagues, he made his off-season home in Savannah, Georgia. In retirement he eventually returned to Greenville where he remained a local hero.

Today The Shoeless Joe Jackson Museum and Baseball Library  remains in the sluggers home town. Fans from across the national visit Greenville to see the artifacts of Jackson’s career.

Shown here is the reverse of the government postcard signed by Jackson’s wife. Notice the postmark from Greenville and the date of January 18, 1949.

Such specimens are coveted by collectors because the postmark places a place and date to the autograph.

Hall of Fame outfielder Harry Hooper witnessed some memorable baseball moments during his 17-year big league career. A four-time World Series champ with the Boston Red Sox, Hooper was part of Boston’s “Golden Outfield” along with Duffy Lewis and fellow Cooperstown man Tris Speaker.

In the collection is a four-page letter from Hooper answering questions about how he wants to be remembered, what it means to be a Hall of Famer, and the makeup of his all-time team.

Shown above is one page from Hooper’s musings. Here he gives his thoughts about the 1919 Black Sox scandal and the role that Chicago owner Charles Comiskey had in in. Responses to the other queries can be read by clicking here.

About the Chicago gambling fiasco Hooper writes, “There were some who were unjustly punished, notably – Joe Jackson and Buck Weaver.” Hooper then assigns some of responsibility to the White Sox owner. “I believe Comiskey was guilty of fomenting the deal by his refusal to pay his players in line of what other players were receiving on other teams.”

An interesting take from Hooper whose Red Sox club finished 20 1/2 games in back of Comiskey’s White Sox in 1919. Powerful content indeed from a man who was active in the big leagues at the time of one of baseball’s worst incidents.

For more on Hooper from the letter shown above, click here.

Shoeless Joe Jackson’s career ended abruptly in 1920, leaving behind one of baseball’s most fascinating statistical legacies. When Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis permanently banished Jackson from baseball, his 1,772 hits ranked 59th on the all-time list. Jackson never played another major league game, despite batting .382 with 218 hits during his final season. His career finished with a remarkable .356 batting average across 13 seasons.

The passage of time pushed Jackson down baseball’s hit list as generations of stars accumulated more hits. Hundreds of players eventually passed his total.

One of those was Hall of Fame left fielder Jim Rice. He did it in style. On September 3, 1984, Rice launched his 300th career home run against Milwaukee at County Stadium. Jaime Cocanower surrendered the fifth-inning blast during Boston’s four-run rally. Rice’s historic homer also produced his 1,772nd career hit, tying Jackson on baseball’s all-time list.

That gave Rice’s home run milestone an extraordinary historical dimension. His 300th homer matched the career hit total of one of baseball’s most enigmatic figures. Rice eventually finished with 2,452 hits and earned election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009.

Shown here is the dugout lineup card from Rice’s milestone game. Rice signed the card and added, “300 HRS ties Shoeless Joe Jackson on hits list with 1,772.” His inscription preserves the exact connection between his 300th home run and Jackson’s enduring place in baseball history.

Before he was a Hall of Fame umpire, Jocko Conlan was a centerfielder and pinch hitter for the White Sox. His time in Chicago combined with his 24-year career as an umpire gave him great insight into the game’s players.

Shown here are Conlan’s choices for his personal All Time White Sox teams. He lists Shoeless Joe as one of his outfielders. Conlan includes four men enshrined in Cooperstown – pitcher Ted Lyons, catcher Ray Schalk, shortstop Luke Appling, and second baseman Eddie Collins.

In 1974 Conlan became the fourth umpire elected to the Hall of Fame, the first since Bill Klem in 1953. Conlan’s signature is at the bottom of the list.