Pittsburgh Sports-The Pirates and Steelers
19 Lots
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Lot 237. Rare 1913 Pittsburgh Pirates 32” x 14” Team Supplement from The Index. This huge black and white premium appears to be the least common of the early 1900s Pittsburgh supplements. Several players and features make it especially interesting. Honus Wagner missed the photo session. His image was added later. Besides Wagner, two other Hall of Fame members are in the photo, Max Carey and manager Fred Clarke. One of the game’s better non-Hall of Fame pitchers, Babe Adams, also is present. Probably taken at spring training in Hot Springs, AR, the photo shows one player who never actually played for the Pirates. Dutch Reuther, misidentified as “Reuther” in the photo, received a try-out at spring training. He signed a contract that allowed him to leave the team if the Pirates wanted to assign him to a minor league team. They did, and he left, eventually reaching the majors in 1917 with the Cubs. The supplement has some inoffensive separations, folds and creases that fail to detract from the well focused, nicely contrasted image. The blank-backed supplement has been neatly adhered to stiff paper measuring 34” x 16”. A magnificent display item.
Winning Bid $862.
Lot 238. ONL Giles Ball Signed by Clemente, 22 Other 1961 Pittsburgh Pirates. Ex-m baseball with signatures that are light, generally vg 3 with some good. Danny Murtaugh, the Pirates’ manager, signed the sweet spot. Roberto Clemente’s signature is on a side panel with Don Hoak, Dick Groat, Walt Moryn and Bob Friend. The ball was signed also by Smoky Burgess, Bill Virdon, Dick Schofield, Vinegar Bend Mizell, Joe Gibbon, Bobby Shantz and Johnny Logan. Authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Winning Bid $291.
Lot 239. ONL Ball Signed by the 1971 World Champion Pirates Including Clemente. Sixteen members of the championship team autographed this ONL Feeney baseball, including Willie Stargell, who signed the sweet spot. His signature is a nm 7. Roberto Clemente signed a side panel that includes Jackie Hernandez, Luke Walker and Dave Giusti. These signatures generally have the boldness of nm 7s and nm-m 8s, with some minor scuffs making them technically ex-m 6. Other signers are Milt May, Bruce Kison, Rennie Stennett, Al Oliver, Bill Virdon, Frank Oceak, Ramon Hernandez, Don Osborn, Rich Hebner and Bob Roberston. These autographs range from ex 5 to nm-m 8. The ball has been shellacked; the pre-printed areas are clearly readable. Authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Winning Bid $400.
Lot 240. Government PC Signed by Curt Roberts, Pittsburgh’s First African-American Player. Roberts was obtained by Pittsburgh from Denver of the Western League as part of a minor league working agreement before the 1952 season. When he made his major league debut on April 13, 1954 at Forbes Field, he became the first black player in Pirates history. Thus, general manager Branch Rickey had broken the color barrier in not only one major league city, but two. In his first major league at bat, Roberts tripled against starter Robin Roberts of the Phillies. He played in 134 games during his rookie season, batting .232 with one home run and 36 runs batted in. After that, he got into only 37 more games in the next two seasons. He later became a member of the Athletics and Yankees organizations, but never again reached the big league level. Roberts died in 1969. The postcard was sent to Roberts from a young fan in 1954. Roberts returned the postcard signed “Best Wishes Always” above his name. His signature, which is highly sought after and exceedingly rare, is 10 of 10. Authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Winning Bid $270.
Lot 241. ONL Baseball Signed by 17 1947 Pittsburgh Pirates Including Greenberg, Kiner. For a single season – 1947 – two of baseball’s best power hitters were in the Pirates’ lineup. Ralph Kiner, in only his second major league season, delivered 51 homes runs, and Hank Greenberg, in his final season, contributed 25. Greenberg signed the sweet spot of this ONL Ford Frick baseball, which is an even light-cream color and ex+ to ex-m. Greenberg’s signature is a vg-ex 4. Kiner signed on a side panel with Wally Westlake (ex-m 6), Nick Strincevich (4-5), Z (Zack) Taylor (5-6), who signed the ball twice, and Frank Gustine (6-7). Kiner’s signature is an ex 5. The other signers are Cal McLish, Clyde Kluttz, Rip Sewell, Elbie Fletcher, Jimmy Bloodworth, Dixie Howell, Bill Burwell (the Pirates’ manager), Whitey Wietelmann, Cully Rikard and Ed Basinski. These autographs range from ex 5 to nm 7. Authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Winning Bid $264.
Lot 242. ONL Ball Signed by Kiner on the Sweet Spot, 18 More 1950 Pittsburgh Pirates. Ralph Kiner’s autograph is an ex 5 on this ONL Fork Frick baseball, which is ex-m to nm. The ball is signed also by rookie Verne Law, manager Bill Meyer, Bill Werle, Bill Pierro, Cliff Chambers, Ray Mueller, Wally Westlake, Junior Walsh, George Strickland, Hank Schenz, Mel Queen, Ed Stevens, Tom Saffell, Len Levy, Clyde McCullough and Danny O’Connell.
Winning Bid $148.
Lot 243. Bat Signed by the 1971 Champion Pittsburgh Pirates Including Stargell, Maz. Twenty-three bold signatures adorn this 34” Hillerich & Bradsby Louisville Slugger special “World Champions Reunion” bat. The signatures in sharpie are by Gene Alley, Steve Blass, Nellie Briles (deceased), Dave Cash, Gene Clines, Dock Ellis, Dave Giusti, Richie Hebner, Jackie Hernandez, Bob Johnson, Don Leppert, Bill Mazeroski, Al Oliver, Jose Pagan, Dave Ricketts, Bob Robertson, Charlie Sands, Manny Sanguillen, Willie Stargell (deceased), Rennie Stennett, Carl Taylor, Bob Veale and Bill Virdon. Nm-m bat with signatures that are gem mint 10s with a few mint 9s. The bat comes with a Certificate of Authen- ticity from J. Paul Sports Promotions, sponsor of the Robert Morris show near Pittsburgh. The bat was signed at one of the show. Kevin Keating also authenticated the signatures. Outstanding!
Winning Bid $245.
Lot 244. Willie Stargell & Terry Bradshaw Signed 1979 Sports Illustrated. Pittsburgh sports fans remember 1979 fondly as the year that the Pittsburgh Pirates and Steelers won the World Series and Super Bowl, respectively. This December 24-31, 1979 issue of SI commemorates the teams’ success with a shared Willie Stargell and Terry Bradshaw cover. Both have signed in black sharpie. Stargell’s autograph is an unimprovable 10, and Bradshaw’s is a nm-m 8 with a smudge on the “w.” Ex-m magazine with the address label. Stargell died in 2001. Authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Winning Bid $152.
Lot 245. “Follow Me to Forbes Field” 24” x 24” Metal Sign. In the late 1950s and 1960s, signs like this were used to direct Pittsburgh Pirates fans to venerable Forbes Field. This sign is a mint reproduction of the original. It comes with a photo that shows an original sign in use.
Winning Bid $83.
Lot 247. 1960 World Series Ticket Stub and Rain Check for Game 7. Few moments in sports history trump Bill Mazeroski’s Series-winning home run in the bottom of the ninth inning in Game 7 at Forbes Field. Although the New York Yankees out-hit and out-scored the unheralded Pittsburgh team, the Pirates nevertheless came away with baseball’s 1960 World Championship. The front of this reserved seat stub and rain check could hardly be better. There are some very light surface creases on the stub. The rain check is crease-free. The back shows some paper loss where the ticket was torn from the stub, and there is another area of paper loss about ¼” wide. The front of the ticket is ex-m, and overall, the ticket is ex.
Winning Bid $291.
Lot 248. Color 36" x 24" Photo Signed by 18 World Champion 1960 Pirates Including Maz. This photo poster comes with a Certificate of Authenticity from J. Paul Sports Promotions, sponsors of the Robert Morris card shows near Pittsburgh. Besides Bill Mazeroski, the poster is signed by Tom Cheney, Joe Christopher, Gino Cimoli, ElRoy Face, Earl Francis, Joe Gibbon, Dick Groat, Don Gross, Vern Law, Rocky Nelson, Bob Oldis, Dick Schofield, Hal Smith, Bob Skinner, Mickey Vernon, Bill Virdon and George Witt. The autographs are mint 10 in thin blue sharpie. Authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Winning Bid $100.
Lot 249. 1960 New York at Pittsburgh World Series Program from the 7th Game. The Bombers from the Bronx outscored Pittsburgh, 55-27, and Bobby Richardson won MVP honors. But tenacity, teamwork, and clutch hitting and pitching brought the World Championship to Pittsburgh. Few clutch hits are more memorable than Bill Mazeroski’s Series-winning home run in the bottom of the ninth inning in Game 7. The program is nicely illustrated and neatly scored in blue ballpoint. This example has an ex-m cover and nm-m inside pages.
Winning Bid $125.
Lot 250. 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates World Series “Ship” Pennant with Players’ Names Listed. This full-sized 11 ½” x 29” pennant is exceptionally nice. We have seen this pennant in white on a blue background. This pennant is white on a red background. It features a pirate identified on his hat as “Murtaugh” making a shaking player representing the American League walk the plank. Names of the 25 Pirates players appear on the mast of the ship, dubbed the“1960 World Series.” Surprisingly, all of the names are spelled correctly. The pennant identifies the Pirates as the “National League Champs.” Nm. Wonderful and unusual.
Winning Bid $132.
Lot 251. Pittsburgh Pirates 1960 NL Champions “Beat ‘Em Bucs” Scroll Pennant. This 11 1/4” x 30” full-sized pennant has it all, and what sets it apart from similar versions is the “Beat ‘Em Bucs” slogan and a “Murtaugh - Mgr.” banner beneath the pirate head. The names of 23 players and coaches appear in a scroll. Schofield, Christopher, Cimoli and Haddix all are spelled incorrectly. The pennant identifies the Pirates as “National League Champions.” White text on black with some beige, pink and gray in the pirate. The condition also sets this pennant apart from others we have offered. Nm to nm+.
Winning Bid $113.
