Single or Duo-Signed Bats, Balls, Jerseys, Photos, Etc.
94 Lots
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Lot 391. Don Drysdale (HoF) Gem Mint 10 Autograph on an Nm-M ONL Giamatti Baseball. In a 14-season career that produced 209 victories, a .557 winning percentage and a 2.95 ERA, Drysdale won the 1962 Cy Young Award and earned All-Star honors eight times. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame 1984. A successful broadcaster after his playing days ended, he was in Montreal to broadcast a game when passed away in 1993. Drysdale’s sweet spot signature is unimprovable. The ball has the slightest hint of toning on one panel. Authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Winning Bid $238.
Lot 392. Scarce Luke Easter Signed Rochester Red Wings Payroll Check with JSA Authentication. Like many black players of his era, Easter was already in his thirties when he was given an opportunity to play in the majors. In 1946-47, he established himself as a power hitter in the Negro Leagues. In his first full season with the Cleveland Indians in 1950, he belted 28 home runs and contributed 107 RBI. He had successful seasons in 1951 and 1952 as well. In following seasons, knee and ankle problems limited his playing time, and then ended his major league career in 1954. In three full seasons and three partial seasons, he hit 93 home runs, drove in 340 runs and batted .274. As a rookie, he hit the longest home run in the history of Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium, a 477-foot shot over the auxiliary scoreboard in right field. Only Mickey Mantle equaled this feat. After the majors, Easter played for Ottawa, Charleston, Buffalo and Rochester in the International League. He was the MVP in 1957. At the age of 48, he finally retired in 1963 and then did some coaching. Rochester and Buffalo each retired his number. In 1979, Easter worked for TRW and served as chief union steward for the Aircraft Workers Alliance. While he was transporting $40,000 for the union, two men confronted him and demanded the money. He refused to give it to them, and they killed him. In 1997, Easter was inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame, which cited his “grace and dignity on and off the field” and his “legacy as a friend to the community, a generous soul with plenty of time for any cause.” Bill James has rated him the second-best Negro Leagues first baseman of all time, with only Buck Leonard rating higher. James has also written that “if you could clone him and bring him back, you’d have the greatest power hitter in baseball today, if not ever.” Easter signed the back of an Aug. 31, 1965 check from Rochester Community Baseball, Inc., owners of the Red Wings. His signature grades 9.5 (of 10), according to an accompanying Letter of Authenticity from James Spence. All autographs of Easter are uncommon, and even index-signed cards are offered for $100 and more.
Winning Bid $152.
Lot 393. Whitey Ford “Chairman of the Board” Signed Photo and OML Selig Baseball. A fine pair of items signed by the most successful pitcher of the 20th century based on winning percentage. He won 69 percent of his games and allowed only 2.75 runs per game. His place in the hierarchy of great pitchers seems to be somewhat lower than it otherwise might be because he played for a good baseball team, and he won with finesse and control rather than power. Casey Stengel, who certainly knew Ford’s abilities well, said of his left-handed star: “If you had one game to win and your life depended on it, you’d want him to pitch it.” Because he was cool and in command under pressure, Ford became known as the “Chairman of the Board.” He added this notation on a 16” x 20” sepia photo that shows him pitching at Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field in Game 6 of the 1960 World Series with a 12-0 lead. Ford did his part in the Series to capture another World Championship for the Bronx team. In two starts, he pitched two complete scoreless games. Ford’s autograph and the addition are gem mint 10. So is his signature on the sweet spot of a mint OML ball; he added “HOF ’74.” Kevin Keating authenticated the signatures.
Winning Bid $262.
Lot 394. Frank Frisch (HoF) 1962 Typed Autographed Letter with Excellent Baseball Content. Wonderful two-page letter by the Hall of Fame second baseman to “Pittsburgh Press” sports editor Chet Smith. Frisch comments on the slow pace of the modern game, the opportunity that baseball provides for young men, his own happiness resulting from baseball and the challenge of managing: “A manager’s job is no bed of roses. It’s a sure bet you’ll never satisfy everybody. I can honestly believe I never tried to hurt any ball player, but few will realize that a manager is always trying to be helpful in advancing them as a player, and toward financial gain.” Frisch’s signature is a large gem mint 10. The letter has chips along the edges and, on the second page, small holes along the folds away from Frisch’s signature. With the letter is a 1940 newspaper by the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association that has a Jack Berger portrait of Frisch on the front page. Authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Winning Bid $75.
Lot 395. 10 1978-80 Checks Signed by Hall of Fame Pitcher Bob Gibson. No. 31 on “The Sporting News” list of Top 100 players of the 20th century, Gibson was enshrined at Cooperstown in 1981. He was the first N.L. pitcher, and the second pitcher ever, to record 3,000 strikeouts. Currently is 14th on the all-time strikeout list, he won 251 games, lost 174 and finished his career with a 2.91 ERA. His signatures on the front of the checks are 9s and 10s with a cancellation stamp over each. Authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Winning Bid $163.
Lot 396. Hank Greenberg (HoF) Autographed Magazine Photo. Gem mint 10 signature on a 4” x 9.5” photo apparently showing Greenberg watching one of his blasts sail out of the park. The photo is matted and framed to 9.25” x 11.25”. Greenberg hit for power and average. In the pre-steroid era, only Babe Ruth and Roger Maris hit more home runs in a single season. Sixty-three seasons after his career ended, he and Jimmy Foxx hold the A.L. record for most home runs in a season – 58 - by a right-handed batter. No A.L. first baseman ever hit as many home runs in a season. In 1938, Greenberg batted .315 with 175 hits, 58 homers, 146 RBI and a league-leading 119 walks. Although losing three seasons to World War II lowered his career numbers, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1956. He passed away in 1986. Authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Winning Bid $198.
Lot 397. Lefty Grove Boldly Signed Gold Plaque HoF Postcard Authenticated by PSA-DNA. Slabbed by PSA-DNA, the card has a gem mint 10 autograph that is authenticated also by Kevin Keating. Grove has the highest winning percentage among winners of 300 games, and the seventh best percentage among pitchers who appeared in at least 1,000 innings. Analyst Bill James has called him “the greatest pitcher of all time, period.” From 1927-33, he won at least 20 games, including 31 in 1931. He posted the best ERA in the A.L. nine times in 17 seasons. He had three .500 season and lost more games than he won only in his inaugural year. Grove entered the Hall of Fame in 1947 and passed away in 1975. Authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Winning Bid $92.
Lot 398. Ernie Harwell Autographed OAL Budig Baseball. Unimprovable gem mint 10 signature on the sweet spot by the Hall of Fame broadcaster. The Voice of the Detroit Tigers, Harwell is rated as one of the top 20 sportscasters of all time. In 1981, he became the fifth broadcaster to receive the Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick Award. He is also in the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame. Harwell’s talents extended beyond the broadcast booth. He wrote popular music, and various artists recorded more than 60 of his songs. His 1995 essay “The Game for All America” is regarded as a baseball literary classic. Harwell passed away last year at 92. The ball that holds his autograph is nm to nm-m with a small spot of wear on the pre-printed area and a couple of small, light stains away from the signature. Authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Winning Bid $75.
Lot 399. Sandy Koufax Large, Bold Autograph on an ONL Giamatti Baseball. Mint 9 to gem mint 10 signature on the sweet spot. Nm-m ball with a couple of minor spots of discoloration. This is a very strong Koufax example. Authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Winning Bid $245.
Lot 400. Mickey Mantle Signed Print from His 1953 Topps Card Artwork. Unimprovable gem mint 10 autograph on a 7” x 10” print numbered 1955 of 2000. There are some light creases in the border, which brings the full size of the item to 11” x 15”. Outstanding Mantle-signed collectible. Authenticated by Kevin Keating. From the Ron Gabriel collection. Proceeds from the sale of this lot will benefit the Society for American Baseball Research, a non-profit membership organization open to all that fosters the research, preservation, and dissemination of the history and record of baseball.
Winning Bid $198.
Lot 401. Mickey Mantle Autographed “Gold Glove” from Rawlings. Mantle signed the back of the index finger of this mint, unused store model glove. The blue sharpie autograph, which comes with a James Spence JSA Letter of Authenticity, shows significant bleeding. All letters are clearly visible. Gloves signed by Mantle are very scarce.
Winning Bid $267.
Lot 402. Mickey Mantle Autographed Original “Baseball Legends” Pencil Drawing. Created by Chicago area artist Jim Jordan for a “Baseball Legends” series of first-day covers, this original drawing presents two images of the New York Yankees’ star center fielder. The 9” x 12” artwork is double-matted and framed to 12 x 16.25”. Across the left side of the drawing, Mantle placed a large, bold mint 9 to gem mint 10 signature that has been authenticated by Kevin Keating. A copy of the FDC incorporating the artwork is included.
Winning Bid $180.
Lot 404. Autographed Photo of Bill McKechnie, Hall of Fame Manager. McKechnie was the first major league manager to capture World Championships with two different teams, Pittsburgh in 1925 and Cincinnati in 1940. As a coach, he helped Lou Boudreau and Cleveland to win the 1948 World Series. According to Johnny Vander Meer, McKechnie “was one of the greatest individuals I have ever met.... Ballplayers never feared McKechnie; they respected him.” McKechnie died in 1965, three years after his election to the Hall of Fame. His signature, as “W B McKechnie,” is on a 5” x 7” Reds photo. It grades nm 7 to nm-m 8. Authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Winning Bid $472.
Lot 405. Autographed Eddie Murray Apparent Home Run Baseball. Murray’s signature on the sweet spot of this game-used OAL Bobby Brown baseball is nm-m 8 to mint 9. It comes with a letter from veteran A.L. umpire Durwood Merrill attesting that it is “the actual ball hit by Eddie Murray for his 15th home run of the 1993 season.” On a side panel, Merrill wrote “1993 HR #15.” The only problem with all this is that Murray was in the National League in 1993. It appears that Merrill, who amassed a huge memorabilia collection in his 23 years as an umpire, simply assigned an incorrect date to an actual home run ball. At the very least, this is a nice game ball vintage-signed by Murray and kept by an A.L. umpire who provided a letter stating that it is a Murray home run ball – one of only 504! Merrill passed away in 2003. Authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Winning Bid $55.
