sports memorabilia

Trophies, Rings, And More At Upcoming Sports Memorabilia Auction

Which is worth more, a 2007 Boston Red Sox World Series Trophy or a 2000 New York Yankees World Series Trophy? We'll get a chance to find out when the Grey Flannel Holiday Auction sells off both trophies along with a whole plate of sports memorabilia on December 8. The auction includes plenty of championship jewelry such as J.R. Redmond's diamond-covered 2001 New England Patriots Super Bowl XXXVI player's ring and a 1984 Boston Celtics Championship ring that belonged to Red Auerbach's personal attorney, Bob Richards, and a 2009 Yankees World Championship ring.

The auction also features soccer memorabilia with a jersey worn by the great Brazilian striker Pelé during his tenure with the New York Cosmos and a jersey from German superstar and two-time European Footballer of the Year Franz Beckenbauer.

"If there is a single sport where ground-floor opportunities still exist, it's horseracing," said Richard E. Russek, Grey Flannel Auctions' president. "A thoroughbred horse runs in only so many races, and there are only so many blankets or halters per race. The blanket worn by a prize-winning horse is much rarer than a modern-era baseball jersey." This auction includes a collection of blankets, halters and other items from a long-held collection such as the blanket Big Brown wore when he won the 2008 (134th) Kentucky Derby. The white fleece blanket is adorned with a bouquet of red roses, the words "Kentucky Derby 134," the official Kentucky Derby symbol, and an embroidered patch with the race date and the image of a jockey on his horse. It opens with a $2,500 minimum bid.

[via Worthpoint]

Tags: boston red sox, championship ring, kentucky derby, new york yankees, sports memorabilia, trophies, world series

Honus Wagner Card Earns Thousands For Nuns' Good Works

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Charity, Sports

Last month we learned that a rare Honus Wagner baseball card was up for sale. The Baltimore-based School Sisters of Notre Dame put the card up for sale. The card is part of the T206 series, produced between 1909 and 1911. The T206 Honus Wagner, was made by the American Tobacco Company in 1909. Part of the mythology surrounding this legendary collectible is that Honus Wagner himself didn't want his image to be used to sell tobacco and stopped production of his card.

The card that the Roman Catholic nuns were auctioning off through Heritage Auctions was in poor condition and only expected to bring in between $150,000 and $200,000. The card sold for $262,900. Antiques Trader reports that the winning bidder is a card shop owner who was touched by the story and bought the card even though the total price was probably more than the damaged card was worth. Heritage Auctions also donated its standard 15 percent seller's commission to the cause, as well. Money earned will benefit the nuns' ministries in 35 countries around the world.

The nuns came into possession of the card because the brother of a nun who died in 1999 left all his possessions to the order when he died earlier this year. The man's lawyer told the nuns that he had a Honus Wagner card in a safe-deposit box. Inside the box they found the card along with a note that said: "Although damaged, the value of this baseball card should increase exponentially throughout the 21st century!" The man had owned the card since 1936. In February 2007, a 'near mint-mint' Honus Wagner sold for $2.8 million.

The Heritage Auctions' Signature Sports Collectibles Auction on November 4 and 5 also included the sale of a New York Yankees home jersey worn by Hall of Fame first baseman Lou Gehrig during his first MVP season. It sold for $717,000, the highest price ever paid at auction for New York Yankees pinstripes.

Tags: baseball collectibles, baseball memorabilia, Honus Wagner, Lou Gehrig, new york, New York Yankees, sports memorabilia

Restaurant CEO Buys Sammy Sosa's Corked Bat

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Sports

Harry Caray Restaurant Group President Grant DePorter has a thing for Chicago sports memorabilia. Last time we wrote about him was when the Harry Caray Restaurant Group, a chain of Illinois steakhouses named after the popular sports announcer, announced that it would pay $50,000 for the hockey puck that launched off the stick of Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane and ended overtime in Game Six of the NHL playoffs, bringing the Stanley Cup to Chicago. DePorter also helped to buy the infamous "Bartman ball," the baseball that Cubs fan Steve Bartman interfered with during the 2003 National League Championship Series. That ball was eventually bought for over $113,000 detonated on live television to help alleviate the Cubs curse (no luck so far).

Now ESPN reports that he's has picked up another intriguing piece of sports history. Former Chicago Cubs pitcher Mike Remlinger decided to auction off the broken barrel of the corked bat used by Sammy Sosa when playing against the Tampa Bay Rays in 2003. When the bat broke it exposed the cork and Sosa was ejected from the game and later suspended.

Before the auction Remlinger had put a secret reserve on the bat that was not met by the October 31 deadline. DePorter, who had the highest bid, bought the bat after the auction. Remlinger said that DePorter agreed to pay the highest bid at $14,407 plus roughly $2,000 in commission to Schulte Auctions. Remlinger had hoped to make $15,000 from the bat.

The ESPN story documents a bit of the behind-the-scenes drama. Apparently Sosa wasn't too happy that Remlinger had the bat and wanted to sell it, a spokeswoman for Sosa passed on word to the Chicago Tribune that if Remlinger needed money he just should have asked Sosa. On "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000, Remlinger said in part, "it really doesn't matter to me. What's done is done. If he still wants to give me some money that would be fine."

DePorter seems to be a bit obsessed with the Cubs curse, he used the secret bidder name of Charles Murphy, the name of the Cubs owner in 1908, the last time the Cubs won the World Series.

Tags: chicago cubs, corked bat, harry caray restaurant group, mike remlinger, sammy sosa, sports memorabilia

Olympic Sprinter Tommie Smith's Gold Medal Up For Sale

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Sports

Olympic sprinter Tommie Smith's decision to auction off his 1968 Olympic gold medal for the 200 meter dash has caused quite a stir. Smith is no stranger to controversy, when he received the metal in Mexico City he raised his fist in protest while on the victory stand. Smith later wrote a book "Silent Gesture" about that moment and his experiences afterward. Smith's co-author on that book, David Steele, mentioned on our sibling blog FanHouse that Smith put the medal up for auction once before, in 1999.

This time it's for sale through Moments in Time Memorabilia along with his Puma spikes and a signed and notarized letter from Smith. The opening bid is $250,000. SF Weekly reports that so far there hasn't been a bid on the lot. The auction will end November 4. Gary Zimet, a representative of Moments in Time Memorabilia has said that Smith needs the money but "is not desperate."

Tags: gold medal, olympic gold medal, sports memorabilia, tommie smith

Basketball Auction Planned For Hall of Fame Induction Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Sports

The latest inductions into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts are set for August 13. Inductees include Jerry Buss, Karl Malone, Scottie Pippen and the 1992 USA Basketball "Dream Team. As part of the event, Grey Flannel Auctions is holding its Fifth Annual Basketball Hall of Fame Induction Auction. This year's auction features 244 lots of vintage basketball-related memorabilia.

Items up for bid span basketball history. Some are mementos from team glory days like the Chicago Bulls 1991-1992 NBA Championship banner that hung in Chicago Stadium. Others celebrate a player like Wilt Chamberlain's 1965-66 Philadelphia 76ers game-used home jersey. Exhibiting a style used for only one season, the red and white jersey is emblazoned with the all-time single game point-scoring king's number "13″ and the word "Phila." it had a minimum bid of $10,000 but is already trending close to $20,000 in online bidding.

Tags: Basketball Hall of Fame, basketball memorabilia, boston celtics, dennis johnson, nba, sports memorabilia, wilt chamberlain

Continue reading “Basketball Auction Planned For Hall of Fame Induction Day”

Rare Early Louisville Slugger Heads To Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Sports

A piece of baseball history is up for auction on August 5. Shown above is an early Louisville Slugger baseball bat. How early? It was used in 1897 by Hall of Fame player Adrian "Cap" Anson to get his final career hit, number 3,435. Anson was the first major league player to get 3,000 career hits and was one of the first great stars of the sport. The bat features 145 carved notches on the handle, reportedly made by Anson himself to improve his grip. It's interesting to compare this beautiful bat to today's Louisville Sluggers.

"This bat was owned by the Anson family for over a century. His great-grandson sold it in 2006 to an anonymous buyer, and it is being offered now along with the family's notarized letter of provenance along with certification by PSA/DNA Authentication Services," said Chris Ivy, Director of Sports Collectibles at Heritage Auction Galleries, the firm that will conduct the public auction during the National Sports Collectors Convention in Baltimore and online, August 5, 2010. The bat is 36 inches long, weighs 47 ounces and is stamped with the first version of the J.F. Hillerich & Son logo, indicating it was produced in the early years of the Louisville Slugger brand between 1894 and 1897. It is estimated to sell for over $100,000.

Tags: Baseball hall of fame, cap anson, louisville slugger, sports memorabilia

World Cup Ball Sells For Over $73,000 On eBay

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Sports

The other day I mentioned the $50,000 search for a game-winning hockey puck another game winner has sold recently for a high price. The "Jo'bulani ball," the gold-decorated Jabulani soccer ball used in the final World Cup match between Spain and the Netherlands sold on eBay for £48,200 (approximately $73,368). The auction raised money for 46664, Nelson Mandela's HIV/Aids education and prevention campaign.

The Jabulani has been a source of controversy. Adidas created the World Cup ball's "radical grip 'n' groove" technology which was supposed to provide stable flight and a perfect grip has been criticized by some players.

A total of 133 bids from 55 participants came in for the ball. It eventually went to a group of Spanish fans.

Tags: football, jabulani, jobulani, soccer, soccer ball, sports memorabilia

Hockey Jersey Auction Could Set A Record

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Sports

One of Canada's prized pieces of sports memorabilia could sell for over $340,000 Canadian today through Classic Auctions. Bidders have just a few more hours to bid on the jersey worn by Paul Henderson when he scored what is referred to as "the goal"-- Team Canada's deciding goal of the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union. The Toronto Star reports that the well-worn white and red No. 19 shirt received a bid of $309,224 from The Jim Pattison Group, a B.C.-based company who would take the sports artifact on a Canada-wide tour before donating it to the sports hall of fame in Calgary. Other Canadian brands including Molson and Canadian Tire tendered bids earlier in the auction. The current owner plans to doate some of the proceeds to charity. The hockey jersey has set a record for the highest price ever to be paid for a hockey item via auction beating out a Bobby Orr rookie jersey that sold for $191,200. It is believed that some Wayne Gretzky have sold privately for for around $250,000. For his part Henderson has said he'd like to see this one go to Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.

UPDATE: The Toronto Sun reports that the shirt went for a total of $1,275,707 including auction fees to Mitchell Goldhar, owner of real estate development company SmartCentres.

Tags: hockey, hockey jersey, hockey jerseys, ice hockey, paul henderson, sports memorabilia, team canada

A-Rod's $100,000 Baseball

by Deb West (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Sports

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

Joe DiMaggio's rookie New York Yankees uniform

Source

Tags: baseball, sports memorabilia, SportsMemorabilia, yankees

Bjorn Borg to sell his tennis trophies

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Tennis great Bjorn Borg is selling off the best moments of his career. Borg, the only person to win five consecutive Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championship titles will be selling all five Wimbledon trophies and two rackets from his 1976 and 1980 final matches. This is the first time a tennis player has sold a Wimbledon-winning trophy at auction. The trophies will be sold at Bonhams in London on June 21 and will go as one lot and are expected to bring £200,000-300,000. The rackets will be sold as individual lots and should bring in £10,000-15,000. Why the sale? Borg has cited the need for "some long-term financial security for those close to me" as the reason.

[via the Daily Press]

Source

Tags: auction, bjorn borg, BjornBorg, collectibles, sports memorabilia, trophies, wimbledon