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Negro Leagues Autographs
4 Lots
 Lot 131. Wilmer Fields Collection of Signed and Unsigned Memorabilia. Fields was the ace of the Homestead Grays pitching staff in the 1940s. He was good enough to play in the major leagues, but after the Homestead Grays folded, he concluded that he could better support his family by playing in Canada and in the winter leagues. He not only pitched in Canada, but played the infield as well. From 1950-58, he won eight MVP awards as a winning pitcher and infielder who typically batted well above .300. This collection consists of: 1-5. Five signed copies Fields’ autobiography, My Life in the Negro Leagues, mint first edition 1992 hardbacks signed on the flyleaf. All five autographs are 10s. 6-7. Two single-signed baseballs. His signature is mint 9 on a side panel of a Rawlings Official League ball and nm-m 8 on the west panel and sweet spot of a Negro League Baseball Players Association ball. Fields served as president of the organization. 8-12. Five signed 11” x 17” photos, all with gem mint signatures. 13-14. Two autographed 8” x 10” photos, both 10s. 15-17. Three signed 2001 Fleer “Greats of the Game” cards #131 with autographs grading nm 7 or nm-m 8. 18. Fields’ gem mint 10 signature on an 11” x 16 ½” poster honoring Leon Day. 19. A 21” x 13” b&w Negro League Baseball Players Association print unsigned by Fields but autographed by Max Manning, Bill (Ready) Cash, Jim Fireball Cohen and Larry Kimbrough. 20. An Ebbets Fields Flannel HOMESTEAD GRAYS replica jersey, large and mint. 21-23. Three 34” Young Bat Co. bats: A Professional Wilmer Fields Model 1919-1950 with an engraved image of Fields, a Professional Negro League Model and a Wilmer Fields Autograph Model with “Homestead Grays 1939-1950” engraved. Nm-m. 24. A Fotoball that sits in a mini-baseball-glove and commemorates the Grays’ championships in 1929, 1932-33 and 1935-48. Nm-m. Autographs authenticated by Kevin Keating. This collection has significant break-up potential, and our starting bid covers the going price for the Grays replica jersey.
Winning Bid $291.
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 Lot 132. Unlined Index Card Autographed by Willie Wells (Sr.), HoF Negro League Shortstop. In a career that spanned 1924-49, Wells established himself as one of the best shortstops in any league. He was an exceptional hitter who batted .334 lifetime in the Negro Leagues and hit .392 against white major league competition. In 1997, he was posthumously elected to the Hall of Fame; he passed away in 1989. His signature is nm-m 8 to mint 9 on an unlined 3” x 5” index card. Authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Winning Bid $218.
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 Lot 133. Circa 1930s H&B Side Written Bat Signed by 25 Negro Leaguers – Leonard, Jethroe, Etc. Bold signatures adorn this Hillerich & Bradsby side written blank-barrel bat. The bat maker used side writing from the early 1900s into the early 1940s as part of its manufacturing and approval process. The 35” bat is signed in black sharpie by Hall of Fame first baseman Buck Leonard and other stars of the Negro Leagues, including Double Duty RADCLIFFE (signed three times), Bill (Ready) Cash, Buster Haywood, Pee Wee Jenkins, Lester LOCKETT (signed twice), Stanley Glenn, Lyman Bostock Sr., Jim Cohen, Mahlon Duckett, Russell Awkard, Mel Duncan, Red Moore, Merle Porter, Buck O’NEIL, Wilmer Harris, Sherwood Brewer, Jim Zapp, Bill Powell, Max MANNING, Joe B Scott, Verdell Mathis, Andy Porter, Wilmer Fields and Frazier Robinson. The signatures, which have been authenticated by Kevin Keating, are almost all mint 9 and gem mint 10. A tremendous display item with 28 Negro Leagues autographs!
Winning Bid $168.
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 Lot 134. Negro Leagues Bat with 27 Autographs Including Leonard and Fields. This nm-m 34” Adirondack 302 bat is engraved with “Negro Leagues Baseball Players Assoc. 1920-1950.” It holds the autographs of Hall of Famer Buck LEONARD, the Negro Leagues’ version of Lou Gehrig; Homestead Grays star pitcher Wilmer FIELDS and Sammie Harris, Leroy Ferrell, Emilio “Millito” Navarro, Jim Cohen, Mahlon Duckett, Bill (Ready) Cash, Jose A Figueroa, Cowan “Bubba” Hyde, Josh Gibson Jr., Al Wilmore, Russell Awkard, Stanley Glenn, Bert Simmons, Curly Williams, Gene Smith, Elbert Isreal, Sherwood Brewer, Gene Benson, Larry Kimbrough, Gordon “Hoppy” Hopkins, Jimmy Dean, Wilmer Harris, Max MANNING, Armando Vazquez and Rodolfo Fernandez. Almost all of the signatures are nm-m 8 or better. The Leonard signature is a 9-10. From the Wilmer Fields autograph collection. Authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Winning Bid $152.
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