Lot 241. 1950s “PREMIERE Gum and Card Vendor” Vending Machine. This vintage machine dispensed gumballs and cards in the 1950s. It measures 13” x 12 ¾” x 5 ½”. The two glass panels displaying the cards are intact, as is the original center glass panel. The baseball cards pictured are included. The machine is an absolute beauty, with some paint loss on the top, mostly at the ridges. More than 95% of the paint on the top panel remains. Otherwise, there are a few small inoffensive areas of paint loss on the back and at the entry point of the coin slot. This machine is an exceptional example. It is original, in good working order and comes with keys that provide access to its interior.
Winning Bid $1,044.
Lot 242. 1950s Baseball Card Vending Machine by Calex Manufacturing. This scarce vending machine, which is in exceptionally nice condition, measures 23” x 11 ¼” x 6”. It is original and in good working order. The side and back panels have been repainted. A key provides access to the machine’s interior. The front of the machine is striking. Five 1962 Topps baseball cards, which are included, grace the colorful front panel display. Text on the panel reads “Buy the Entire Series, 6 for 5 cents, Use Nickel Only, Educational – Entertaining.” And awesome!
Winning Bid $578.
Lot 243. 1950s Central’s 46 “Hi Fly” Baseball Game. With the insertion of a penny, this arcade-style tabletop game affords a player the opportunity to achieve a “Single, Double, Triple, Home Run, Bunt or Out.” This is accomplished by jettisoning the penny with a lever onto a compartmentalized glass-enclosed playing surface. Care needed to be taken in playing the game because this machine, which measures 22” x 16 ½” x 10 ¼”, is equipped with a tilt mechanism. The game is in good working order. The wood panel on the right side has a 5 ½”crack that does not affect the performance or aesthetics of the game. A moderate amount of wear on the wood case seems only to add to the game’s charm. The playing surface is loaded with period baseball graphics.
Winning Bid $324.
Lot 244. 1960s Oak Baseball Bubble Gum Vending Machine. For 5 cents, this machine, which measures 17” x 6 ¼” x 6 ¼”, dispenses a gum ball. The front panel features the word “BASEBALL” in bold capital letters at its top. Beneath, two baseballs, one with a price of 5 cents, frame a 5” x 3 ½” label. Text on the label reads “Make a hit with Cramer’s BASEBALL Bubble Gum.” The label also features period graphics of kids playing the game. This machine is in good working order. A key provides access to the machine’s workings. Except for some inoffensive scratching on the side and back panels, the game is essentially pristine.
Winning Bid $218.
Lot 245. 1930s-40s 1 Cent Baseball Game Gum Vendor. This game, which measures 16 ¼” x 8 ¾” x 6 ¾”, is not operational. A small panel that might have identified the manufacturer has been removed, and the bottom portion of the back panel is missing. The case itself shows a moderate amount of wear. Under glass, the front has baseball field with period graphics that include stands and players. Text on the field reads “1. Insert Penny In Top. 2. Push Plunger. Out, Home Run.” A 2 ¾” x 2” paper label near the top reads “1 cent Buys Ball Gum, Test Your Skill, TRY TO SCORE.” The machine comes with an access key. Terrific period charm.
Winning Bid $127.
Lot 251. Pirates Vintage Collection – Autographs, Traynor Photo, 1960 Memorabilia, Etc. One highlight of this collection is an 11” x 13” photo, circa 1940, of Pie Traynor with William Benswanger matted and framed to 18 ½” x 21”. Benswanger was president of the Pirates 1932-46. Upon close examination, the photo shows some surface cracks and creases and a couple of very small scuffs. The decorative, quality vintage wood frame would benefit from being re-stained. Striking display item. Three uncommon autographs are also featured: Lefty Leifield, who signed “A P Leifield” on an unlined index card, was Pittsburgh’s winningest pitcher 1906-11. He died in 1907. His signature is a mint 9. Aubrey Epps appeared in exactly one major league game, for the Pirates in 1935, and he made the most of it. He collected three hits, including a triple, and he drove home three runs. He signed a handwritten letter that mentions Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. His signature is a 10. Epps died in 1984. “Buckshot” May also had a one-game major league career. He pitched one inning in 1924, allowing two hits and striking out one. May died in 1984. Publications: 1961 yearbook, owner’s name on front; otherwise, vg-ex. 1971 NLCS scorebook, Clemente cover, scored, vg-ex. 1971 Three Rivers Stadium Souvenir Book marking the opening of the new stadium, vg-ex. Photos: Vintage glossy 8” x 10” photo, possibly from 1961 spring training, with Willie Stargell, Al McBean, Vernon Law, etc. Vg+ to ex. Framed 11” x 14” pictures of Mazeroski’s home run that won the 1960 World Series, Clemente’s 3,000th hit and the 1961 Pirates team. Vg-ex to ex+. Also, an 11” x 17” picture of the World Champion 1971 Pirates, vg. Rain Checks: Two different, undated, probably 1940s-50s, vg. Stamps: U.S. Post Office “Legends” kit including stamps of Clemente, Ruth, Gehrig and Jackie Robinson. Cards and a stamp album also are included. Ex-m. Cards: 1991 Kellogg’s Sportflics card of Ralph Kiner, nm. 1994 ProMint 22 karat gold foil card of Barry Bonds, nm-m. Also, a 3” color pin of Stargell and two Pirates 2004 magnet schedules. Twenty items. Autographs authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Winning Bid $83.
Lot 260. 1962 “Mickey Mantle’s Big League Baseball” Game from Gardner & Company. Solid, rigid box with a couple of scuffs and a very small puncture on the lid. Inside, the game board of this dice game has an image of Mantle and is nm. Two sets of rules have Mantle’s image, vg. Some game pieces are present, although the Mantle photo and the dice cup are not.
Winning Bid $102.
Lot 261. Spectacular 1950s Mickey Mantle Photo Ring. This ring features a sepia photo of Mantle in a batting stance inside a ½” oval. The photo is mounted inside an adjustable metal band, which shows some wear. The photo itself is nm.
Minimum Bid $100.
Lot 263. 1950s PM10 Pins of New York Yankees - Berra, Ruffing, Turley. The pins of Yogi Berra and Charles Herbert Ruffing are the 1 ¾” variety with the name at the bottom. The Berra pin, which is ex, has a light blue or aqua background, and a 2 ½” catcher’s mitt is attached. The Ruffing pin, which shows some wear on the back, has a nm front. The Bob Turley pin, which is vg+ to ex with some light surface scratches, is 2” in diameter and has his name at the top. The Baseball Pinback Buttons book lists the Turley pin at $500.
Winning Bid $102.
Lot 264. 2 Babe Ruth Pins. The first is a 7/8” black & white “Baseball Club Member” pin that pictures Ruth. Nm. The second is a 1 ½” “Babe Ruth Boys Club” pin from the Esso (now Exxon) oil company. This pin shows surface wear.
Winning Bid $68.
Lot 265. 84 Different Babe Ruth First-Day Envelopes, Commemorative Stamps. The Post Office launched the 20-cent Babe Ruth stamp in Chicago on July 6, 1983, to mark the 50th anniversary of Major League Baseball’s All-Star game. At least 65 of the envelopes, produced by various companies, contain an image of Ruth. There are two numbered sets, a group of 10 from J:M, and another series of six from Den’s Collectors Den. One envelope is from Z Cachets, and six are from Santoe of Zanesville, OH. Five feature paintings by Robert Steven Simon. Generally, the envelopes are nm-m.
Winning Bid $92.
Lot 327. Ron Stark 20” x 24” Color Print of Babe Ruth on Canvas. Stark has been described as the next Norman Rockwell. He is one of the premiere sports artists of our time. His rendering of Babe Ruth is simply incredible. If there is a better one out there, we have not seen it. Clad in Yankee pinstripes and cap, the Babe stands, holding his bat against a dark-brown background. The appearance is that of an original oil painting and not a print. His image is so lifelike that it seems to jump out of the canvas. The detail is exceptional and meticulous. The canvas print is housed in a 23 ½” x 27 ½” frame. Stark has signed the print near the lower right corner.
Winning Bid $520.
Lot 328. Arthur K. Miller Framed Color Illustration of Ty Cobb. Cobb is colorfully shown in a bunting stance with his eye on the ball, which approaches his bat. The matted and framed piece measures 20 ¼” x 24 ¼”. Anyone interested in baseball knows something about Cobb. Miller, an award-winning artist, is less widely known. His work has appeared in many publications, most notably yearbooks for the Baseball Hall of Fame and SABR publications. The Cobb print is one of a series of lithographs. Interestingly, one night in late 1999, Miller had a dream that in 2019, he would be the first artist inducted into the wing of the Hall of Fame for writers and broadcasters. With artwork such as this, his is a dream that may just come true!
Winning Bid $75.
Lot 329. Game-Used Dave Concepcion 1980-82 Louisville Slugger Bat. Concepcion was the defensive star of “The Great Eight,” the starting players for Cincinnati’s “Big Red Machine” in 1976. He received less notoriety than his power-hitting teammates, but he was every bit as important to the team’s success. During his career, which spanned 1970-88, Concepcion won five Gold Gloves. For much of his career, only Ozzie Smith was better defensively. Tim McCarver called him “one of the best shortstops ever to play baseball.” This 34.5” dark-brown K55 bat shows plenty of game use. An 11 ½” section of tape obscures part of the crack in the handle. The bat displays well and will make an excellent addition to any bat or Reds collection.
Winning Bid $75.
Lot 330. Tony Conigliaro, Dom DiMaggio Store Model Louisville Slugger Baseball Bats. This group consists of three bats representing the Boston Red Sox stars. The 34” Hillerich & Bradsby 125 Conigliaro bat is from the 1970s, nm. The earliest of the DiMaggio bats is a 35” H&B No. 14 model with “Safe Hit” and “Dominic DiMaggio Model” on the barrel. It shows light to moderate use with some scratches and scuffs. Ex and displays well. The second DiMaggio bat is similar to Conigliaro’s and nm. It’s a 34” Hillerich & Bradsby 125 from the 1970s with “Dom DiMaggio” and “Genuine P72” on the barrel.
Winning Bid $185.
