Joe DiMaggio
Mount Morris, Illinois, December 1939
Joe DiMaggio Signs Model Builder Magazine
Magazine/Comic

JOE DIMAGGIO, Signed Magazine, Model Builder (December 1939) Mount Morris, IL: Lionel Corporation. 36 pp., 8.375" x 11.5". Partial separation of front cover; Uneven toning; some soiling on verso; bold, dark signature.

This December 1939 issue of Model Builder magazine features a photograph of Joe DiMaggio with a New York Central model railroad on the cover and his bold signature in blue ink. Dubbed ?The Magazine of Model Railroading for Men and Boys,? the Model Builder was published by the Lionel Corporation every other month.

Excerpt
?Joe DiMaggio Pictured on Model Builder Cover
?On the cover of this issue of the Model Builder is a picture of Joe DiMaggio, outstanding ball player on the world?s champion New York Yankees. When this year?s greatest home run hitter is not on the ball field, he will probably be found operating and tinkering with his miniature railroad. The pride of the DiMaggio line is a quarter-inch scale model Hudson locomotive, No. 5344. New York newspapers recently printed pictures of DiMaggio with his trains under a headline: ?JOE GOES INTO TRAINING.?? (p29)

Joe DiMaggio (1914-1999) was born in California to Sicilian immigrant parents and began playing baseball at age ten. He dropped out of high school and began playing semi-professional baseball by 1931. He debuted in the Pacific Coast League late in 1932 and in his rookie year in 1933 set a record by hitting safely in 61 consecutive games. In 1936, he made his major league debut with the New York Yankees, immediately setting a franchise record for rookies by hitting 29 home runs. During his 13-year career with the Yankees, he set the record for the longest hitting streak in baseball (56 games), won the American League Most Valuable Player Award three times, and was an All-Star in each of his 13 seasons. During his tenure, the New York Yankees won ten American League pennants and nine World Series championships. He received several nicknames as a baseball center fielder, including ?Joltin? Joe? and ?the Yankee Clipper,? and retired in 1951. From 1943 to 1945, DiMaggio served in the United States Army Air Forces as a sergeant. Outside of baseball, he is best known for his marriage to Marilyn Monroe from 1954 to 1955, and his continuing devotion to her after her marriage to Arthur Miller ended in divorce. After her death, he claimed her body and arranged for her funeral. In the 1970s and 1980s, DiMaggio became a spokesman for Mr. Coffee, a bank, and a retirement community. A heavy smoker for much of his life, DiMaggio died in Florida of complications from lung cancer.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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8.375" x 11.5"