Don “Barefoot” Post Collection
In September 2020, a memorabilia dealer from Rochester, NY sold the estate collection of Don “Barefoot” Post over a several week period on eBay. The collection included a number of tobacco cards, including a remarkable collection of T206 player autographs, with several on-card signatures, which were acquired through the mail between 1965 and 1969. It appears that Barefoot’s approach was to glue a T206 card to a 4x6 index card and ask each player a number of questions about their playing careers and their lives. Many players were all too happy to reply, including Hall of Famers Zack Wheat and “Wahoo” Sam Crawford.
A slideshow of the entire collection is below. Several of the players, including Tommie Leach, George McBride, and Sam Crawford addressed their correspondence to Barefoot Post. Crawford asked “How come a front name like that? Is that just a summer name or year round.”
Don “Barefoot” Post was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II. He was also a semi-pro athlete, who was known for playing without shoes or socks — hence the nickname “Barefoot”. A pair of undated fliers below show advertisements for the Rochester Ridge Clippers, featuring “Barefoot Post”, as “the world’s only all-around barefoot athlete” playing baseball and basketball. Indeed, in the late 1940s, “Barefoot” was active at the semi-pro level in baseball, basketball, and football.
Post also entered the 1947 Boston marathon running barefoot. However, published reports show that he dropped out after 15 miles when he realized he was not going to win. Six decades later he recalled: “There were just too many professionals and foreign runners that year,” he said. So, instead of continuing, he decided to take in a Boston Braves game (also, apparently, barefoot).
Post died on February 6, 2014. He was 89 years old.
Post died on February 6, 2014 in Clarkson, NY, which is just outside of Rochester. He was 89 years old.
Donald “Barefoot” Post, with a helmet celebrating his nickname.