Lot 11. 6 Official New York Yankees Yearbooks, 1955-60. Until 1955, publication of Yankees’ yearbooks was the province of Big League Books, or Jay Publishing. In 1955, the Yankees began publishing their own official yearbooks. The 1955 issue is vg+; 1956, second edition, ex+ with Lon Keller cover artwork; 1957, 5” spine split at the center, vg, better appearance; 1958, vg+, name written on the front cover; 1959 revised edition, ex-m+, and 1960, ex+. Don Larsen and Bob Turley are pictured in a Yankees yearbook for the first time in 1955. Bill Skowron is in the 1956 issue, a year ahead of the Jay Publishing version. Roger Maris debuts in 1960.
Winning Bid $218.
Lot 12. 12 New York Yankees Yearbooks by Big League Books, 1950-60. From 1950 through 1960, Big League Books, or Jay Publishing, produced Yankees yearbooks. In 1955, the Yankees began publishing “official” yearbooks that competed with the Jay Publishing editions. The Yankees’ first yearbook, from 1950, contains two pages on Joe DiMaggio and full pages on Phil Rizzuto, Tom Henrich and Joe Page. Among the stars or potential stars are Yogi Berra, Allie Reynolds, Johnny Mize and Billy Martin. Vg-ex. Mickey Mantle joins this cast of consistently world champion performers in 1952; Gil McDougald in 1951; Whitey Ford in 1953; Elston Howard, Don Larsen and Bob Turley in 1955; Bobby Richardson in 1956; Bill Skowron in 1957; Clete Boyer in 1959 and Roger Maris in 1960. There are two copies of the 1951 yearbook, one with Big League Books advertising on the back cover, vg, and one without, vg+ to ex. The other yearbooks grade: 1957, nm-m; 1955 and 1956, nm; 1954 and 1958, ex-m; 1953, ex+; 1952 and 1960, vg+ to ex; and 1959, vg-ex.
Winning Bid $472.
Lot 46. 10 Pittsburgh Pirates Yearbooks, 1951-60. These yearbooks take the Pirates from the Rickey Dink years to a world championship. Losers of at least 100 games and occupants of the National League basement, the 1952-54 Pirates were dubbed the “Rickey Dinks” in denigration of Branch Rickey, the team’s general manager. The 1951 yearbook was the Pirates’ first. It is vg+ to ex with “50¢” written on the front cover. Here is information on the other issues: 1952, cover by award-winning Pittsburgh “Post-Gazette” cartoonist Cy Hungerford, ex-m; 1953, Ralph Kiner, Joe Garagiola and the O’Brien twins pictured inside, ex-m; 1954, Curt Roberts, Pittsburgh’s first black player pictured, and the Honus Wagner statue on the front cover, ex; 1955, Roberto Clemente’s first appearance, vg-ex; 1956, Bill Mazeroski’s inaugural issue, vg-ex; 1957, ex; 1958, the Pirates’ first winning season of the 1950s, vg-ex, minor writing on front cover and 1” spine split; 1959, ex-m, and 1960, the Pirates’ world championship season, ex-m to nm. The 1956 yearbook is especially worth noting. It contains a one-page tribute to Wagner, who died in December 1955. The page has an illustration of Wagner – holding a cigar!
Winning Bid $291.
Lot 200. All 6 Philadelphia Athletics Yearbooks, 1949-54. The A’s of Philadelphia issued six yearbooks before they moved to Kansas City for the 1955 season. Venerable Connie Mack is on the covers of the 1949 and 1950 issues. The 1949 edition is ex, and the small-format (6” x 8.5”) 1950 version, vg+ to ex. The 1950 edition celebrates Mack’s 50 years as manager of the Athletics, and 46 of the 64 inside pages are devoted to him. The 1950 season and players receive 13 pages of coverage. The 1951 yearbook is vg; 1952, ex; 1953, with a feature on Bobby Shantz, the 1952 A.L. MVP, ex-m; and 1954, Bob Trice and Vice Power pictured as the team’s first black players, ex. Trice appeared in three games for the A’s in 1953, and Power became the regular first baseman in 1954.
Winning Bid $110.
Lot 201. 7 Kansas City Athletics Yearbooks, 1955-58. Two yearbooks represent the Athletics’ first season in Missouri, one by the team and another by Jay Publishing. The version from the publisher of picture packs has a yellow cover, which Athletics manager Lou Boudreau autographed. Vg+, 2” split along the spine. Kevin Keating authenticated the autograph. The A’s version is ex-m, except for a signature on the front cover. The second edition of the 1956 yearbook marks the passing of Connie Mack; vg-ex. Two versions of the 1957 yearbook seem to be the same, except that on has a red “A’s” on a blue background, and the other, a blue “A’s” on a red background. Both copies are vg, with interiors better than the covers. Billy Martin is among the players. The second edition of the 1959 yearbook, in a 5” x 7” format, is vg+ to ex. Roger Maris is pictured. The edition for 1958 is vg+ to ex with price information written on the front.
Winning Bid $198.
Lot 202. 5 Boston Braves and 8 Milwaukee Braves Yearbooks, 1947-60. This collection includes all five yearbooks issued by the Braves of Boston. The first three, for 1946, 1947 and 1950, are called “Sketch Books,” and the 1946 and 1947 issues have future Hall of Fame manager Billy Southworth on the cover. These issues are ex to ex-m. The 1950 issue has a 1” split at the top of the spine. The 1951 edition is ex+, while the 1952 version would be ex-m except for the absence of a coupon, which was cut from the back cover. The first Milwaukee Braves yearbook, from 1953, is ex-m, and so are the issues from 1957, 1959 and 1960. The 1955 issue is ex, and 1956, vg+. The 1958 issue, which celebrates the 1957 world championship, will be ex-m when it again has staples to hold it together; the staples have been removed. Among the stars pictured are Warren Spahn, Eddie Mathews and Johnny Sain. Hank Aaron makes his first appearance in 1955.
Winning Bid $291.
Lot 203. 1944, 1951 and 1952 St. Louis Browns Yearbooks – the Only 3 They Produced. Relatively rare, the Browns’ 1944 die-cut yearbook might more properly be characterized as a 1945 scorecard or program. First, it recognizes the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in April 1945. Second, it is presented as a souvenir of the May 1, 1945 Browns-Cleveland game. And it has a scorecard in the center. The cover proclaims the Browns “Champions American League 1944.” It has a vg cover and 24 ex pages mostly picturing players. One-armed rookie Pete Gray is among the “New St. Louis Browns.” Nice example. The 1951 and 1952 yearbooks follow a more standard format and are vg+ (price notation on cover) and ex, respectively. Satchel Paige is pictured inside the 1952 issue.
Winning Bid $198.
Lot 204. St. Louis Cardinals First 10 Yearbooks, 1951-60. Stan Musial is on the cover of the 1953 and 1959 yearbooks, and Red Schoendienst, on the 1954 cover. The 1952 edition recognizes the Korean War. The mascot Cardinal appears in varying scenes on the other covers. Curt Flood debuts in 1958, and Bill White and Bob Gibson in 1960. The issues for 1953, 1954 and 1957 are ex-m. The 1951 issue is vg+ to ex, and 1955, vg with a 3.5” split at the bottom of the spine. The others are ex or ex+, except that the 1956 and 1958 issues have minor writing on the front cover.
Winning Bid $354.
Lot 205. 13 Chicago Cubs Yearbooks, 1934-57. This run of yearbooks is complete, except for the 1939 edition. The Cubs issued their first yearbook in 1934; Kiki Cuyler, Gabby Hartnett, Chuck Klein, Riggs Stephenson, Billy Herman and Babe Herman are among the players pictured. Nice ex copy with a couple of tiny scuffs in the lower left. For 1941 and 1942, the Cubs adopted a 6” x 9” format; ex-m and vg-ex, respectively. The issues from 1948-57 range from ex to nm-m and average ex-m to ex-m+. Ernie Banks and Gene Baker make their Cubs debut in the nm-m 1954 yearbook.
Winning Bid $291.
Lot 206. Brooklyn Dodgers’ 1947 Yearbook – Their First – with Jackie Robinson and Burt Shotten. The Dodgers inaugural yearbook is an oversized 80-page (plus covers) softcover by Joe Hasel and titled “Baseball’s Beloved Bums.” Actually, this revised edition has 82 pages. The additional pages are an insert with one full page covering Jackie Robinson – the “biggest – and the finest – news” of the early season. The appointment of Burt Shotten as the Dodgers’ manager occupies the back of the page. Shotten replaced Leo Durocher, who was suspended for the season by Commissioner Happy Chandler. The yearbook has a full-page photo of Durocher and a complete page devoted to the players – Carl Furillo, Pee Wee Reese, Eddie Stanky and others. The 1947 Bums won the N.L. pennant by five games. Robinson was selected as Major League Baseball’s Rookie of the Year, and he finished fifth in the N.L. MVP voting. The yearbook is ex-m.
Winning Bid $105.
Lot 207. 9 Brooklyn Dodgers Yearbooks, 1949-57, Plus 1941 and 1942 Yearbook-Type Publications. The earliest of these publications frequently are not listed as Dodgers yearbooks, but they serve the same purpose. Both are scarce: “The Dodgers 1941: Today and Yesterday in Brooklyn Baseball,” vg+, and “The Dodger Victory Book 1942,” vg, first inside page loose. Both publications are from the W. & H. Baseball Publishing Co. The 1949 yearbook pictures Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella and Don Newcombe. Ex-m. The 1950 yearbook, ex+, comes with a Post’s Cereals envelope with the same cover image as the yearbook. Post advertised on the outside back cover of the 1949 and 1950 editions. Willard Mullin artwork decorates the covers of the other issues: 1951, fourth printing, nm; 1952, ex; 1953, ex; 1954, ex-m to nm; 1955, championship season, ex, good-looking copy, 2.25” spine split; 1956, celebrates the 1955 championship, ex-m+; and 1957, the Bums’ final Brooklyn season, nm.
Winning Bid $429.
Lot 208. 1958, 1959 and 1960 Los Angeles Dodgers Yearbooks. The Dodgers left Brooklyn for LA for the 1958 season. The 1958 edition is vg; 1959, world championship season, ex-m+, and 1960, nm-m.
Winning Bid $68.
Lot 209. 8 New York Giants Yearbooks, 1947 and 1951-57. The Giants’ 1947 yearbook, their first, is as much a retrospective as it is a preview. The oversized annual has features on John McGraw and Christy Mathewson, a 17-page history of the Giants at the Polo Grounds and Grantland Rice’s All-Time Giants Team. Members of the 1947 team each receive a full page, including Mort and Walker Cooper, Larry Jansen, Ernie Lombardi, Bobby Thomson and Johnny Mize. Ex+. The Giants did not publish a yearbook from 1948 through 1950. Willie Mays shows up for the first time in a Giants yearbook in 1952. Willard Mullin’s cover artwork commemorates Bobby Thomson’s 1951 “shot heard ‘round the world” or, as Red Smith dubbed it, the “miracle of Coogan’s bluff.” Ex-m except for a person’s name in the lower right corner of the front cover and another person’s first name stamped there. The 1951 issue is vg-ex. Popular sports artist Lon Keller provided the art for the 1953 cover; vg with a 1” spine split and a person’s name on the front and back covers. Mullin returned as the cover artist for 1954 nm-m and 1955 ex-m with several very small spine splits. The 1956 edition is vg-ex, and 1957, ex-m.
Winning Bid $429.
Lot 210. San Francisco Giants Yearbooks for 1958, 1959 and 1960. The Giants maintained one East Coast tradition as they made the transition to the West – Willard Mullin drew the cover artwork for the team’s yearbook. Nm+. The 1959 yearbook is the scarcer second edition, ex-m. Willie McCovey makes his first yearbook appearance in 1960; ex with one page inside inscribed.
Winning Bid $168.
Lot 211. Cleveland Indians’ First 13 Yearbooks, 1948-60. Like other teams, the Indians called their early yearbooks, from 1948-52, “Sketch Books.” The 1948 team, led by Lou Boudreau, captured a world championship, and the 1954 team, under Al Lopez, made it to the World Series. The American League’s first black player, Larry Doby, is in the 1948 yearbook. So are such stars as Bob Feller, Joe Gordon, Bob Lemon, rookie Al Rosen. As early yearbooks go, this one is nicely designed. Vg+. All but the 1953 yearbook have Chief Wahoo somewhere on the front cover. Satchel Paige, Early Wynn (with Cleveland), Minnie Minoso and Mike Garcia debut in the 1949 edition. Vg+ to ex. Luke Easter makes his first major league yearbook appearance in 1950, as does Bobby Avila. Ex+. Here are details on the other issues: 1951, Lopez replaces Boudreau, ex-m; 1952, ex; 1953, ex+; 1954, Ralph Kiner cover, Jay Publishing product on inferior paper, vg+; 1955, Herb Score and Rocky Colavito rookies, nm; 1956, vg+; 1957, first appearance by Roger Maris, ex-m; 1958, nm; 1959, ex, and 1960, ex-m with price information written on the front cover.
Winning Bid $240.
