SportsMemorabilia

A-Rod's $100,000 Baseball

On February 4, 2010 an on-line auction was concluded for the baseball Alex Rodriguez hit to secure his 500th career home run. A-Rod was the youngest player to do so and only one of a total of 22 players to ever attain the distinction of hitting that many homers. The ball in question brought in $103,579.00. The only other Yankees to achieve the goal are two of the greatest, Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle.

The auction was conducted by SCP Auctions who stock their auctions with quality baseball memorabilia and cards. They are also responsible for the successful sale of Barry Bonds record breaking 756th home run ball for $752,467 in September of 2007. The company has over the years partnered with Sotheby's to sell some of the most important items in baseball history including the bat Babe Ruth used to hit the first home run in Yankee Stadium ($1.265 million) and the original contract for the sale of Babe Ruth from the Red Sox to the Yankees in 1919, as well as private collections of other sports superstars such as Ernie Banks, Honus Wagner, Casey Stengel and Pee Wee Reese.

The fan, supposedly a New York area college student, who originally caught the ball on August 4, 2007 had kept the ball in good shape and you could even see where A-Rod's bat connected with the ball. Also, MLB had in expectation of the important at bat pre-marked the ball "A 107" and then after the home run placed a hologram with a serial number on the ball. This insured that the anonymous Internet buyer is assured that they are receiving the real deal. There was some discussion by the New York Daily News that the ball was sold for much less than it might have garnered due to steroid use by baseball players. It also could just be the economy, still not a bad take for a fan just out for a day at the game.

Tags: A-Rod, alex rodriguez, AlexRodriguez, auction, baseball, baseball memorabilia, BaseballMemorabilia, home run ball, HomeRunBall, memorabilia, New York Yankees, NewYorkYankees, sports memorabilia, SportsMemorabilia

Rare Cassius Clay Letters Up For Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Sports

Most memorabilia related to Muhammad Ali isn't quite as personal as the letters going up for auction at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas and online, October 1 and 2 (the same auction where Lenny Dykstra's memorabilia will be auctioned off). The three early 1960s handwritten letters to his sparring partner written by Ali when he was still known as Cassius Clay are the earliest known Clay letters. The letters were written immediately before and soon after his light heavyweight gold medal victory at the 1960 Olympics. Chris Ivy, Heritage Auctions Director of Sports Auctions says that the letters are "early insights into the mind of one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century as he makes the transition from Louisville, Kentucky amateur to international professional boxer." Each letter is expected to sell for $10,000 or more.

Tags: boxing, cassius clay, CassiusClay, muhammad ali, MuhammadAli, sports, sports memorabilia, SportsMemorabilia

Rare Baseball Photo Sells For Record Price

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Sports

The historic photo shown above could soon be displayed at Yankee Stadium. The near-mint condition photograph is signed by 30 members of the legendary "Murderer's Row" 1927 New York Yankees team and was recently purchased for a record $350,000 which is the most ever paid for a vintage sports photograph. Joe Orlando, President of PSA/DNA Authentication Services in Newport Beach, California which certified the authenticity of the autographs says that the price is nearly 70 percent higher than the last time this autographed picture was sold in an auction less than three years ago. The purchase by an anonymous buyer was brokered by

Memory Lane, Inc. of Tustin, California which also sold the autographed photo for $206,000 in a December 2006 auction.

The 1927 Yankees have been described as the greatest baseball team of all time, winning 110 games and losing only 44. The signatures include names which still resonate today including Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Orlando says that several other team-signed copies of this photograph exist but some of the autographs on those pictures are so-called 'clubhouse' signatures, signed by other players or other ball club personnel. The autographs on this photo were personally obtained by Yankees pitcher George Pipgras who passed down the photo down to his daughter, LeMorn Pipgras Simpson who later sold it for $80,000.

Gallery: Most Valuable Baseball Collectibles