Lot 18. 1936 Time Magazine with Rookie Joe DiMaggio on the Cover. It’s not often that a rookie sports figure adorns the cover of a news magazine, but DiMaggio accomplished the feat on July 13, 1936. No doubt he benefited from playing in the nation’s media center in New York, but a starting role in the All-Star Game and a high batting average certainly contributed to his notoriety. DiMaggio also received much of the credit for the Yankees’ success. Expected to face tough competition from Detroit, the Yankees were atop the A.L. in July, and at season’s end, they had outdistanced the Tigers by 19.5 games. In an article in the magazine, DiMaggio is compared favorably to Ty Cobb and Shoeless Joe Jackson. The copy of the magazine is clean and very collectable. The front and back covers have a library stamp. The date is written on the front cover along the spine, and there is a diagonal print line. Scarce.
Winning Bid $134.
Lot 252. Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig Fishing? These baseball icons seem to have a special knack for fishing as well as hitting a baseball. This Diamond Images 22 ¾” x 19 ¼” framed and matted b & w limited edition photo captures Ruth and Gehrig showing off their catches. The print is #28 of 975 and will be a fine addition to your Yankees photo gallery.
Winning Bid $92.
Lot 253. B&W Photo of Babe Ruth Giving Lou Gehrig a Big Hug. “They didn’t get along. Gehrig thought Ruth was a big-mouth and Ruth thought Gehrig was cheap. They were both right,” said teammate and fellow HoF member Tony Lazzeri. That may have been true, but the Sultan of Swat and the Iron Horse looked like friends the day Gehrig retired from baseball. The 19 ¼” x 23 ¼” framed, double-matted photo shows the Yankee duo reunited on “Lou Gehrig Day,” July 4, 1939.
Winning Bid $55.
Lot 254. Joe DiMaggio on the Cover of the Oct. 4, 1948 Issue of Time. Although the Yankees failed to make it to the World Series, the 1948 season was excellent for DiMaggio personally as he led the A.L. with 39 homes runs and 155 runs batted in. The front cover has an ex appearance with a light vertical crease. The interior is nm.
Winning Bid $45.
Lot 255. September 1947 and 1949 Issues of Sport with Joe DiMaggio on the Cover. Starting in 1946, DiMaggio graced the cover of the sports monthly each September in the first four years of its publication. He shares the 1947 cover with brother Dom. Inside is a 10-page article by Tom Meany on the three DiMaggio brothers. The cover of this issue is vg+ to ex. The 1949 issue features a magnificent Ozzie Sweet portrait of Joltin’ Joe. Ex-m cover with a nm interior that has a lengthy article on DiMaggio.
Winning Bid $55.
Lot 256. New York Yankees Program from Mickey Mantle’s Rookie Season. Mantle began the 1951 season in New York, but difficulty in hitting major league pitching resulted in a 40-game demotion to the Yankees’ Kansas City farm team. This program for a St. Louis Browns game apparently is from that period. In the pre-printed lineup, #7 is assigned to Bob Cerv. Meanwhile, Cliff Mapes is with the Browns; he was claimed by the St. Louis team July 31. Satchel Paige is on the Browns’ roster. Joe DiMaggio is the only Hall of Famer in the pre-printed starting lineup for the Yankees: Yogi Berra, Phil Rizzuto and Johnny Mize were on the bench. Ex program with the center folio loose.
Winning Bid $45.
Lot 257. Mickey Mantle Autographed “The Life of a Legend” Print. The print, #287 of 2,401, is a composite of more than a dozen images representing highlight of Mantle’s Hall of Fame career. For example, on a photo showing him with Billy Martin, Mantle comments, “Billy was like my brother to me. I always miss him.” The 19” x 25” print is matted and framed to 23 ½” x 30”. Mantle’ signature in the lower right is a gem mint 10 in gold sharpie. Authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Winning Bid $354.
Lot 258. Mickey Mantle Autograph on a Promo Card for “The 500 Home Run Club” Video. Green Johnson Enterprises of Atlanta and Cabin Fever Entertainment produced the 4” x 6” card, which pictures Mantle with Bob Costas. Mantle’s signature is a bold gem mint 10. Both James Spence and Kevin Keating authenticated the autograph. The card has a Spence certificate number on the back, and it comes with a verification certificate. Authenticated also by Kevin Keating.
Winning Bid $185.
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 262. Original 20 ½” x 26” Painting Based on Mickey Mantle’s 1953 Topps Card. The anonymous painting decently captures Mantle’s image. Creases in the lower corners and several very light stains toward the bottom add to its charm. The 24” x 28 ½” frame has a ½” section of damage.
Winning Bid $50.
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.
