Ballpoint signature and inscription, “Joseph Ricardel, To a grand orchestra, from Harry S. Truman, USS Mo., who almost became a pianist, Oct. 11, 1944,” on an off-white 4.75 x 3 card. In very good condition, with overall toning and an area of paper loss affecting a couple letters of the inscription. Playing the piano was one of Truman’s favorite pastimes, a fact he humorously observed when he once reflected, ‘My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician. And to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference.’ At the time he signed this, Senator Truman was in fact about to become the nation’s figurehead—he was elected as vice president on the FDR ticket just a few weeks later, took office in January 1945, and ascended to the presidency in April. Pre-certified PSA/DNA.
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