Lot 47. 15 Pittsburgh Steelers Pennants Spanning 1979-2007. Nm collection of full-sized pennants that begins with a photo pennant of the Super Bowl XIII champs. These Steelers defeated Dallas, 35-31, for the team’s third Super Bowl triumph. Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Chuck Noll, Mel Blount, Mike Webster, Jack Ham, Joe Greene, Jack Lambert, L. C. Greenwood, Dwight White, John Stallworth and Lyn Swann are all in the photo. The others: 2. Super Bowl XIV pennant, Jan. 20, 1980. It pictures the Rose Bowl and identifies the Steelers as “AFC Champions.” Nm-m. 3. “One for the Thumb in 81” pennant with a large image of Joe Greene wearing four Super Bowl rings. Three tack holes; otherwise, ex. 4. Black-field pennant with “Steelers” and the team logo. Nm. 5. Ben Roethlisberger “2004 Rookie of the Year” pennant, nm-m. 6. Super Bowl XL pennant with the Steelers as the 2005 AFC Champions. 7. Super Bowl XL Champions pennant with images of Bettis, Roethlisberger, Polamalu, Porter, Parker, Ward, Farrior and Miller. 8. Super Bowl XL Five Time Champions pennant, nm-m. 9. Modern “Pittsburgh Steelers” pennant with a helmet with the team logo and the logo repeated separately, nm-m. 10. Hines Ward pennant, nm-m. 11. Super Bowl XL Champions “One for the Thumb” pennant. It shows a hand with four Super Bowl rings, nm-m. 12. 2007 Steelers “75th Season” pennant, nm-m. The final three full-sized pennant are connected with the Hall of Fame: 13. 1993 HoF induction pennant with Chuck Noll’s name on it with other enshrines. It has Raiders and Packers helmets. Vg+ to ex with two tack holes. 14. Generic HoF pennant, nm-m. 15. 2007 HoF Enshrinement & Game pennant with Steelers and Saints logos and the names of the six inductees, nm-m. BONUS - two smaller pennants: 16. 1960s, “Pittsburgh Steelers” with construction worker on an I beam, 5” x 12”, one pin hole, ex. 17. 4” x 9” “Pittsburgh” pennant with a generic football player, nm.
Winning Bid $92.
Lot 49. 1938 Steelers Home Schedule Broadside with Future Justice Whizzer White. Actually, the Pittsburgh pro football team was still known as the “Pirates” then, and they were one of the two worst teams in pro football. White was fresh out of the University of Colorado, where he finished second in the third year of the Heisman Award. White gave Pittsburgh fans something to cheer about in a 2-9 season. He led the NFL in rushing, outgaining runner-up Tuffy Leemans of the New York Giants by more than 100 yards. White was a Rhodes Scholar, and after the 1938 season, he left for Oxford. He returned to the U.S. to play for Detroit in 1940 and 1942 before entering the military. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy appointed White to the U.S. Supreme Court. The schedule and advertising poster are on 7 ¾” x 12” newsprint. It has four folds, a couple of holes that do not affect text or White’s photo and “1938” printed on in pencil. The name of a pharmacy where tickets could be purchased in 1938 is typed on. Living in the heart of Steelers country, we can tell you that any memorabilia associated with the teams of the 1930s-40s is very scarce. This is great item!
Winning Bid $225.
Lot 50. 1940s-50s Pittsburgh Steelers Pennant with Steel Mills in the Background. Ex to ex-m outstanding example of this full-sized pennant. The raised material on player’s pants and helmet show no signs of wear. The gold strip at the left shows some soiling and has several pin holes. The pennant has a small dab of paint on the first “S” in “Steelers,” a 1/8” chip along the top edge and some fraying at the tip. Interestingly, smoke is pouring from steel mills behind the player. Wonderful vintage pennant!
Winning Bid $138.
Lot 281. Jim Thorpe 1912 Postcard, 1932 Original Wire Photo. The pundits at ESPN selected Thorpe as the seventh best North American athlete of the 20th century. Somehow, seven guys, mostly one-sport wonders, beat him out. At the 1912 Olympics, Thorpe won the decathlon and the pentathlon. As a football player at the Carlisle Indian School, which played the nation’s top college teams, he scored 25 touchdowns and 198 points. He helped to establish the American Professional Football Association, which eventually became the NFL. In six years as a part-time major league outfielder, he batted .252. But at ESPN, at least, he wasn’t as good as the century’s “best,” a superb basketball player who simply struck out in baseball and competed only in basketball at the Olympics. The postcard, titled “Thorpe of Carlisle, PA., ‘The Greatest Athlete of All Times,’” shows Thorpe as a shot-putter for the Indians. It is p-f with clipped upper corners and soiling. The sepia wire photo from Acme Newspictures shows Thorpe in full Indian regalia with Josephine McKim, who won the bronze medal in the 400-meter freestyle at the 1928 Olympics and gold in the 4 x 100-meter freestyle relay at the 1932 Olympics. Thorpe and McKim are participating in an “Air Cruise” to promote the Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Ex 6” x 8” photo with caption attached. Great items representing the seventh best athlete of the 20th century.
Winning Bid $264.
Lot 282. Early 1980s Matt Cavanaugh New England Patriots Game-Used Sand-Knit Jersey. After quarterbacking the Pitt Panthers to a national championship in 1976, Cavanaugh had a 13-season NFL career, primarily as a backup. He did start eight games for the Patriots in 1981. After another season with the team, he served as a backup in San Francisco, Philadelphia and New York with the Giants. Cavanaugh is back at Pitt today as the Panthers’ offensive coordinator. This game-used jersey has Cavanaugh’s name on the back and “12” on the front and back. It has two tags on the tail: “Pro Action by Medalist Sand Knit” and “Medalist Sand-Knit Large.” Nm-m.
Winning Bid $245.
Lot 283. 1890s Folk Art of a Woman Football Booster (or Player?). The image of a football-toting female is engraved on wood. The artwork carries the double-entendre title of “A Match for Anyone.” Goal posts are in the background. The engraving is on an elliptical section of wood that is 9” across and 13” from top to bottom. Attractive vintage display.
Winning Bid $61.
Lot 284. Rare 19th Century Football Player CDV. Taken in New Hampshire, the 2” x 3 ½” photo shows a player wearing a union suit with reeded thigh pads and holding a four-strap helmet. The photo, which has a crease in the upper left corner and very light foxing, is sharp with excellent contrast. The mount is ex. Football CDVs are extremely rare.
Winning Bid $100.
Lot 286. Rare Circa 1905 Panorama of a Football Game at Harvard Stadium. This 10” x 35” black & white photograph captures the Harvard University football team in action in Cambridge, MA. Characteristic of the era, the football field is marked out in a grid. The contrast and focus of the photo are excellent. Otherwise, the panorama is a project in search of a restoration sponsor. It is in three pieces, and the largest section has several tears and creases, as well as chips at the top. The good news is that the photograph’s image area appears to be essentially completely present, which makes it a good prospect for professional restoration. The photo is by Pictorial News. It does not identify Harvard Stadium; however, almost the same photo was used on a Tuck postcard that does identify the stadium. The copy we found was mailed in 1907.
Minimum Bid $100.
Lot 287. 1900 and 1907 Football Cabinet Photos. The sepia 1907 photo, 7 ½” x 9”, is superb. It shows 13 players, many wearing union suits with reeded shin guards. Five players have nose guards, including a huge bat-wing model. The photo shows excellent focus and contrast. Except for a heavy crease in the lower right corner, it is free of easily noticeable blemishes. The mount is p with significant pieces missing. In the 1907 photo, which is also 7 ½” x 9”, players wear pants with reeded thigh pads. The players have numbers on their foreheads, and they probably were identified on the mount, which has been trimmed away. Pleasant vintage photo.
Minimum Bid $50.
Lot 288. Michigan vs. Cornell Sepia Photo of 1917 Game Action. The 5” x 7” photo, titled “Attempting to Break Away,” shows A. B. Weston of Michigan breaking a tackle and on his way to gaining additional yards. Players wear leather helmets and possibly friction jerseys. In the lower right corner, the photo has the number “40” and an embossed stamp that says “Calkins Drug Co.” and “Photo by Heath.” During the period, Calkins apparently had a number of pharmacies in Michigan. The photo is ex. A notation on the bottom border says “Weston. Michigan 42. Cornell 0.” That was indeed the score of the game, as Michigan rolled to its eighth win of the season, and sixth by shutout.
Winning Bid $102.
Lot 289. 9 University of Maryland Pennants Plus a Terrapin Decanter. Four full-sized pennants are from the 1950s or earlier. Two appear to be from the 1920s-30s. The first of these is composed of two sections stitched together, characteristic of the 1920s, and it has silkscreen printing, which became common in the 1930s. The school’s logo is to the left, and “Maryland” is at the right in gold on black. Vg-ex with several pin holes and a small stain. The second early pennant has stitched-on letters that say “Maryland” on a red field. Nice-looking pennant with a border chip, about a dozen very small moth holes and a very light stain. Two of the full-sized pennants are from the 1940s-50s. Both have the school logo to the left, “Maryland” to the right and gold on black letters. On one, the logo is multi-colored. Extremely nice felt pennant with a half-dozen moth holes. The other is vg-ex with a slight tip clip and no pin holes. Attached are a 1 ¾” Maryland pin and a trophy cup. A full-sized pennant commemorates the Terps 13-0 win over Florida in the 1975 Gator Bowl. Printed in white and tan on red, the pennant has a Gator with an “M” on his jersey, the university logo, “Maryland” and “Terrapins.” Nm-m. A delightful 6” x 15” pennant has an orange and grey Terrapin at the left and “Maryland” to the right. Nm, probably from the 1950s. Three full-sized pennants, all the same, commemorate the Terps’ 2002 NCAA Basketball Championship. It features a tough-looking Terp with a basketball net behind him and text that says “Maryland Terps.” These three pennants range from ex to nm. The decanter from Ezra Brooks in 1974 features a Terp leaning on a letter “M.” The decanter stands at 9 ½” at its tallest point, is 7” wide and is ex-m to nm.
Winning Bid $83.
Lot 290. 16 University of Maryland Yearbooks Including a 1943-51 Run. Called “The Terrapin,” the yearbooks are for 1921, 1922, 1938, 1941, 1943-51, 1957, 1959 and 1967. Typically, they contain 200 pages or more of photos and text, including an average of about 20 pages on football and basketball. The 1951 edition offers a photo and feature on the university’s first consensus All-American in football, Bob Ward, a guard. It also has photos of Maryland’s second and third All-Americans, Jack Scarbath and Ed Modzelewski. Ward appears also in the 1950 yearbook, along with Ray Krouse, the Terps’ first All-American selection. AP and UPS named him the tackle to their second teams. He subsequently played in the NFL, as did Scarbath and Big Mo. This book has a feature on the Terps’ 20-7 win over Missouri in the Gator Bowl. The 1921 yearbook has a three-page fold-out with individual photos of the school’s football players. On a non-sport note, the 1967 yearbook presents three pages of a young Harry Belafonte, and four pages on Sammy Davis, Jr. Lou Saban was the football coach. The 1921 yearbook is vg, and the 1922 issue, vg-ex. The others average ex to ex-m. Excellent start on a complete collection.
Winning Bid $70.
Lot 291. Wilson 1960s “Famous Player” Kid’s Football Uniform, Box with Sayers, Hornung. The 8 ½” x 15” x 10 ½” cardboard box has two black & white images each of Gayle Sayers, Paul Hornung, John Brodie, Body Dowler and Tommy Mason. It is complete, has a tear at one of the handles, a printing defect on one of the Hornung images and displays extremely well with a few creases. Inside is a used but not abused child’s uniform, including a red helmet with white stripe and face mask, a blue jersey with white numbers, pants and shoulder pads.
Minimum Bid $50.
Lot 292. 7 1960s Full-Sized NFL Pennants – Redskins, Eagles, Patriots, Houston Oilers, Etc. Also, the Falcons, Jets and Chargers. All have the NFL logo; five are dated 1967. The Washington pennant has the 1965-69 arrow logo. The Patriots, Falcons and Jets pennants are vg and have tack holes. The Eagles pennant has minor fraying at the tip and four tack holes; otherwise, the appearance is ex. The Oilers and Redskins pennants are ex. The Chargers pennant is ex except for two inoffensive tack holes.
Winning Bid $102.
