Lot 1. Hank Greenberg (HoF) Autographed ONL Chub Feeney Baseball. Baseballs single-signed by the Detroit Tigers slugger are scarce, and this one is a beauty! The autograph is large, bold and nicely centered, mint 9 on an official nm-m National League baseball. Kevin Keating authenticated the signature.
Winning Bid $2,310.
Lot 2. 1985-95 Perez Steel Great Moments Set of 108 with 38 Autographed. The autographs – more than one-third of the set - are overwhelmingly mint 9 and gem mint 10. Kevin Keating authenticated the signatures: #2 Al Kaline, 5 Whitey Ford, 11 Stan Musial, 13 Ted Williams, 14 Warren Spahn, 17 Robin Roberts, 21 Ernie Banks, 22 Willie McCovey, 23 Johnny Mize, 26 Pee Wee Reese, 27 Monte Irvin, 28 Eddie Mathews, 29 Enos Slaughter, 31 Chas. Gehringer, 34 Ray Dandridge, 36 Bob Doerr, 37 Bill Dickey, 38 Willie Stargell, 39 Brooks Robinson, 41 Billy Herman, 43 Luis Aparicio, 48 Harmon Killebrew, 49 Johnny Bench, 53 Yogi Berra, 56 Juan Marichal, 58 Buck Leonard, 59 George Kell, 62 Jim Catfish Hunter, 63 Lou Boudreau, 65 Willie Mays, 66 Lou Brock, 67 Bob Lemon, 69 Billy Williams, 70 Rick Ferrell, 72 Carl Yastrzemski, 74 Rollie Fingers, 93 Fergie Jenkins and 100 Mike Schmidt. Nineteen of these Hall of Fame signers are deceased. Selected from various numbered sets, these cards are nm-m.
Winning Bid $783.
Lot 3. Rare 1883 Scorecard Scored for a Sept. 1 New York Gothams-Providence Grays N.L. Game. These two teams fielded some of the greats of the 19th century – Old Hoss Radbourne and Arthur Irwin for Providence and Buck Ewing, Roger Connor, Mickey Welch and Monte Ward for New York. Playing at the Polo Grounds, the Gothams won this game, 6-4, as Welch outperformed Radbourne. When opened, the scorecard measures 6” x 7 3/8”. It is neatly scored in pencil and pen. The notations in pen clearly are vintage; the scoring in pencil could be either vintage or a later addition. The date and a number “5” have been added to the front cover. The back cover promotes an upcoming American Association game between the New York Metropolitans and the Louisville Eclipse. The two halves of the scorecard are held together with tape neatly applied to the spine. The corners are somewhat rounded, and one is clipped. The scorecard displays well, and it is especially collectible for its rarity and the list of players who participated in this game!
Winning Bid $770.
Lot 4. Impressive and Rare Albumen Cabinet Photo of the 1881 Harvard Baseball Team. Several players in their superb photo wear bib uniforms, and a spider mask is visible. Almost 7” x 9.25”, the photo is ex with several inconsequential points of discoloration. It has been trimmed from a larger mount, resulting in slight unevenness along the edges. Harvard established its first baseball team in 1862. This team represented the legendary Ivy League university only 19 years later, and well before formal baseball programs were a staple at U.S. schools. Albumen photos, named for the use of albumen found in egg whites to bind photographic chemicals to the paper, are widely sought and highly collectible. This is one of the finest important examples we have seen.
Winning Bid $330.
Lot 5. Roberto Clemente 3,000th Hit Associated Press Wire Photo. The Sept. 30, 1972 AP photo captures Clemente an instant before he makes contact with a pitch from the New York Mets’ John Matlack. At Three Rivers Stadium in the final home game of the season, Clemente drove the pitch to center field for a double. It turned out to be the last hit of his Hall of Fame career. Three months and a day later, he died in a plane crash while on a humanitarian mission. The 7” x 9” photo, transmitted electronically, is on heavy and somewhat glossy photo stock. The caption is next to the photo. Nice ex-m example.
Winning Bid $134.
Lot 6. 1956 Topps Baseball Set of 340 Including a PSA-Graded Ted Williams Card. PSA assigned a grade of NM-MT 8 (OC) to the Williams card, #5 in the set. Other key cards grade: #1 Harridge f-g, 2 Giles vg, 10 Spahn g, 11c Cubs g, 15 Banks vg+ to ex, 20 Kaline vg, 30 Robinson vg, 31 Aaron g, 33 Clemente g, 72c Phillies vg+, 79 Koufax g, 85c Indians vg-ex, 90c Redlegs vg, 95c Braves f, 100c Orioles vg-ex, 101 Campanella vg, 107 Mathews g, 110 Berra vg+, 113 Rizzuto p, 118 Fox g, 120 Ashburn f-g, 121 Pirates vg+ to ex, 130 Mays g-vg, 135 Mantle f, 145 Hodges vg-ex, 150 Snider f, 164 Killebrew g-vg, 166 Dodgers p, 181 Martin vg, 187 Wynn g-vg, 188 White Sox g-vg, 200 Feller f-g, 213 Tigers vg, 226 Giants vg, 235 Newcombe vg+, 240 Ford f, 251 Yankees vg, 260 Reese vg-ex, 292 Aparicio rookie vg and 332 Larsen f. All of the team cards listed through #100 are the variety with no date and the name at the left. The rest of the set grades Ex+: 5 cards. Ex: 24. Vg-ex: 99. Vg: 119. G-vg: 19. G: 26. F-g: 4. F: 3. A total of 266 cards, or more than three-fourths of the set, grade vg or better, and more than 40 percent of the set is at least vg-ex.
Winning Bid $1,075.
Lot 7. Sonny Liston Rare Autograph on an 11” x 14” Paul Abdoo Photograph. Uncommon on anything, Liston autographs are especially collectible on this scarce colorized image by the Denver photographer. This signature, authenticated by Kevin Keating, is nm-m 8. Typically found signed by Liston and another person, the photo shows Liston wearing the World Heavyweight Championship belt presented by “Ring” magazine. The controversial champion retained Abdoo to improve his image. He apparently gave signed copies of this photo to his friends and selected individuals he wanted to impress. In 1962, Liston destroyed Floyd Patterson in the first round of their heavyweight championship bout in Chicago. He retained the title when he knocked out Patterson again in the first round of their 1963 rematch. In February 1964, he lost the championship to Muhammad Ali (as Cassius Clay), who scored a TKO in the seventh round. Ali ended their 1965 rematch in the first round. Liston learned to box while serving time in the Missouri State Penitentiary for armed robbery. After being paroled and then returning briefly to prison, he climbed to the top of the heavyweight challengers’ list by 1960. At the age of approximately 38 (his date of birth is uncertain), he died at his home in Las Vegas in 1970 under murky circumstances. Although lung congestion and heart failure were listed as the official cause of death, some sources said Liston died of a heroin overdose, and some police and friends claimed he was murdered. The photo has a somewhat heavy crease in the upper left corner well away from Liston’s image. The “on” in “Liston” is set against a somewhat dark part of the photo background. This is a highly collectible single-signed image of the Boxing Hall of Fame champion!
Winning Bid $3,909.
Lot 8. Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier Signed “Sports Illustrated” - “Thrilla in Manila” Coverage. On the cover of the Oct. 13, 1975 issue, Ali lands a punch during their famous Oct. battle in the Philippines. In the 14th round, Ali scored a TKO and retained his world heavyweight title. The magazine captures their confrontation in eight pages. Both Ali and Frazier placed large, bold signatures on the cover of the ex-m+ magazine. Both are on relatively dark backgrounds, and Ali’s displays as nm-m 8 to mint 9, and Frazier’s, as nm 7 to nm-m 8. Frazier passed away last November. An outstanding champion himself, he lost only to Ali and George Foreman. At Frazier’s passing, Ali issued a statement saying: “The world has lost a great champion. I will always remember Joe with respect and admiration.” Kevin Keating authenticated the signatures.
Winning Bid $429.
Lot 9. Muhammad Ali Autographed Copy of the Photographic Biography, “I Am King.” Finding this 128-page trade paperback is unusual. This copy is all the more collectible because Ali chose to sign a photo showing him as a 12-year-old boxer. The autograph is mint 9; Kevin Keating authenticated it. The publication is nm+.
Winning Bid $121.
Lot 10. 1989 Swell Football Greats Set of 150 Autographed by 97 Hall of Fame Members! Remarkable set missing the signatures of only three HoFers who could have signed: Pete Rozelle, Joe Namath and Sid Luckman. Forty-three of these 97 signers are deceased. Authenticated by Kevin Keating, the autographs are overwhelmingly mint 9 or gem mint 10. A few are nm 7 and nm-m 8, primarily as a result of the contrast between the ink and the background. The signed cards are: #1 Terry Bradshaw, 7 Mel Hein, 10 DON HUTSON, 26 Otto Graham, 28 Steve Van Buren, 29 Bullet Bill Dudley, 36 Willie Wood, 37 Art Shell, 38 Sam Baugh, 39 Mel Blount, 40 Lamar Hunt, 42 Y. A. Tittle, 43 Andy Robustelli, 47 JIM BROWN, 48 Pete Pihos, 49 Hugh McElhenny, 50 TOM FEARS, 52 Ernie Stautner, 53 Joe Perry, 54 Leo Nomellini, 57 Alex Wojciechowicz, 58 Charley Trippi, 58 MARION MOTLEY, 60 CRAZYLEGS HIRSCH, 61 Art Donovan, 69 Paul Brown, 70 Chuck Bednarik, 71 “Bulldog” Turner, 75 George McAfee, 76 Forrest Gregg, 77 Frank Gifford, 78 Jim Taylor, 80 RAY FLAHERTY, 81 Lenny Moore, 82 Dante “Gluefingers” Lavelli, 83 George Connor, 84 Rosie Brown (“HOF 75”), 85 Dick Night Train Lane, 86 Lou Groza (“The Toe”), 88 Tony Canadeo, 89 Joe Schmidt, 90 Jim Parker (“Colts 77”), 91 Raymond Berry, 92 “Ace” Parker, 93 Ollie Matson, 94 Gino Marchetti, 95 Larry Wilson, 96 RAY NITSCHKE, 98 Weeb Ewbank, 99 Lance Alworth (“Bambi, #19, HOF ‘78”), 100 Bob Willis (“Best Wishes”), 101 BART STARR, 102 Gale Sayers, 103 Herb Adderley (“26”), 104 JOHNNY UNITAS, 105 Ron Mix, 106 Yale Lary, 107 Morris Red Badgro, 108 Jim Otto (“00”), 109 Bob Lilly, 110 Deacon Jones, 111 Doug Atkins, 112 Jim Ringo, 113 Willie Davis (“Packers”), 114 GEORGE BLANDA, 115 Bobby Bell, 116 Merlin Olsen, 117 George Musso, 118 Sam Huff, 119 Paul Warfield, 120 Bobby Mitchell, 121 Sonny Jurgensen, 122 Sid Gillman, 123 Arnie Weinmeister, 124 Charley Taylor, 125 Mike McCormick, 126 Willie Brown, 127 O. J. Simpson, 130 Frank Gatski, 131 Willie Lanier, 132 Kenny Houston (“God Bless”), 133 Paul Hornung, 134 ROGER STAUBACH, 135 Len Dawson, 136 Larry Csonka, 137 Doak Walker, 138 Fran Tarkenton, 139 Don Maynard, 140 Jim Langer, 141 John Henry Johnson, 142 Joe Greene, 143 Jack Ham, 144 Mike Ditka, 145 Alan Page, 146 Fred Biletnikoff, 147 GENE UPSHAW and 148 Dick Butkus. This impressive collection of Hall of Fame autographs has tremendous potential break-up value!
Winning Bid $636.
Lot 11. 1933 Steel-Tipped Pen Autograph of College Hall of Fame USC Coach Howard Jones. This large signature is a beauty! As part of a return address on an envelope postmarked in Los Angeles in 1933, it extends for 3.5”. Jones made the University of Southern California a football powerhouse. In 16 seasons there beginning in 1925, he coached the Trojans to seven Pacific Coast Conference titles, four National Championships and five Rose Bowl victories in five appearances. He also won a national title while coaching Yale in 1909. For his career, Jones’ teams won 193 games, lost 63 and tied 20. He coached 19 All-Americans. As a coach, Jones strongly emphasized sportsmanship, which is captured in the following example: Visiting the Stanford locker room before its game with USC in 1935, Jones saw Bobby Grayson, the Indians’ All-America halfback, pulling on long stockings to hide an injured knee. Jones told Grayson to put on just one stocking, on the side with the bad knee. “That way,” he said, “we’ll know which one not to hurt. I’ve already told my players not to take advantage of your injury.” He and his players were true to his word; Grayson was not hit on the injured leg during the game. Jones was only 56 when he died in 1941. The envelope containing Jones’ signature is torn closely to the left of his first name. The signature intersects with a portion of the address and otherwise has the characteristics of a mint 9. Kevin Keating authenticated the autograph.
Winning Bid $148.
Lot 12. 1972 Steelers vs. Raiders “Immaculate Reception” Game Program and “Press” Coverage. Ex+ 118-page program for the Dec. 23 AFC divisional playoff game that featured one of the most famous and controversial plays in NFL history. The play gave Pittsburgh its first playoff victory. With only 22 seconds left in the game, Oakland led, 7-6. The Steelers faced fourth-and-10 on their own 40 yard line when Terry Bradshaw threw the ball toward Frenchy Fuqua at the Raiders’ 35 yard line. The ball, Fuqua and Raiders safety Jack Tatum arrived at a point on the field at the same time. In the aftermath of the collision, Fuqua fell to the ground, and the ball sailed toward Franco Harris, who had run downfield as a receiver. Harris scooped up the ball before it hit the ground and ran for a touchdown. Pittsburgh broadcaster Myron Cope popularized the “immaculate reception” term. The front cover of the program and the first 10 pages show some inoffensive creases. Accompanying the program is the next day’s sports section from the “Pittsburgh Press.” Three photos capturing the event cover most of the first page of the section, which devotes four pages to the game. The section is vg+ to ex with a 2” tear along the fold of the first page.
Winning Bid $429.
Lot 13. Gen. George Armstrong Custer Vintage, Original Silver Print. This ex 3.75” x 5.25” unmounted print of the cavalryman and general shows moderate contrast and sharp focus. Although he graduated last in his class at the U.S. Military Academy, he served with distinction in the Civil War. He was killed at the Battle of Little Big Horn in 1876. Vintage, original photos of Custer are very scarce.
Winning Bid $396.
Lot 14. Outstanding William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody Cabinet Photo by Brooklyn’s Stacy Studio. This 4.25” x 6.5” card may very well have been distributed by Cody’s Wild West Show. His facsimile signature is on the back. The photo shows the legendary figure in a fringed jacket and western outfit, wearing his trademark hat and holding a rifle. The photo is sharp and strong, with light scuff marks on his right leg; technically vg+ to ex, it looks better and is on a vg+ mount.
Winning Bid $433.
Lot 15. Rare Gen. Tom Thumb Wedding Album Locket. Just under a height of three feet, “Thumb” was a major star of P. T. Barnum’s circus in the mid-1800s. His real name was Sherwood Edward Stratton, born in 1838 in Connecticut. Normal except for his size, Stratton was only four, and about two feet tall, when he began touring with the circus. Barnum presented him as an 11-year-old. The child sang, danced and impersonated widely recognized individuals. He was wildly popular in England, where he appeared twice before Queen Victoria. In 1863, Stratton married another little person, Lavinia Warren. A few days after the wedding, President Lincoln received the couple at the White House. The locket, which measures ½” x 7/8”, contains 10 photos, including the couple’s wedding photo. Besides Tom and Lavinia, the photos show George Washington Morrison Nutt, the best man; Minnie Warren, Lavinia’s sister and maid of honor; and the Episcopal priest who married them. Two photos show Lavinia holding a baby. The couple never had any children, but Barnum claimed a child obtained from orphanage to be their own. He thought the baby should be a little person too. Consequently, once the baby grew too large, he would acquire another one. Sherwood died of a stroke in 1883; more than 10,000 people attended his funeral. Lavinia passed away in 1919. The brass locket is ex-m, and so are the photos, which show strong contrast.
Winning Bid $200.
