|
Autographs of Olympians
10 Lots
 Lot 358. 8 Autographs of Bonnie Blair, Olympics Speed Skating Champion. Blair captured five gold medals at three Olympiads – in the 500-meter competition at Calgary in 1988 and in the 500 and 1,000-meter events at Albertville in 1992 and at Lillehammer in 1994. Her autographs are nm-m 8 and better, and predominantly mint 9, on an unlined index card, five color photos ranging from 3.5” x 5.25” to 4” x 6” and two 8” x 10” color photos. Signatures on the two large photos are personalized. Authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Minimum Bid $25.
|
 Lot 359. Dan Jansen Signed Autobiography, “Full Circle.” Jansen won a speed skating gold medal in the 1,000-meter event at Lillehammer in 1994. He was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 2004. The 1994 stated first edition book is nm in an ex-m dust jacket. Jansen signed the first title page. His autograph, authenticated by Kevin Keating, is personalized and gem mint 10.
Minimum Bid $10.
|
 Lot 360. Michael Johnson Signed “Slaying the Dragon: How to Turn Your Small Steps to Great Feats.” Gem mint 10 autograph on the dedication page of the 1996 stated first edition hardback, which is nm-m in an nm dust jacket. One of the greatest sprinters ever, Johnson won four gold medals in three Olympiads. He earned gold medals in the 4 x 400 meter relay at Barcelona in 1992, in the 200 and 400 meter events at Atlanta in 1996, and in the 400 meter competition at Sydney in 2000. He also earned eight gold medals in the World Championships. In 2004 he was elected to the U.S. Track and Field Hall of Fame, which selected his 200 meter performance at the 1996 Olympics as the greatest track and field moment of the last 25 years. ESPN named him to its list of top 100 athletes of the 20th century. Authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Winning Bid $20.
|
 Lot 361. Jackie Joyner-Kersee Signed Autobiography, “A Kind of Grace.” Joyner-Kersee won Olympic gold medals in the heptathlon at Seoul in 1988 and Barcelona in 1992. She also was the gold medalist in the long jump in 1988. “Sports Illustrated” named her the best woman athlete of the 20th century. Her autograph on the first title page is mint 9. She added “III Olympic Medals.” Kevin Keating authenticated the signature. The 1997 hardback book, a stated first printing, is nm-m in an nm dust jacket.
Winning Bid $15.
|
 Lot 362. Greg Louganis Signed 1995 Book, “Breaking the Surface.” This book, ex in a similar dust jacket, spent five weeks at No. 1 on the “New York Times” Best Seller List. Louganis won a total of four gold medals in the diving competition at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics. His success in 1984 earned him the James E. Sullivan Award, presented by the Amateur Athletic Union to the most outstanding amateur athlete in the U.S. He is only the second diver, and the first male, to sweep the diving events at consecutive Olympics. He was one of only two swimmers or divers named to ESPN’s list of the 20th century’s top 100 athletes. His autograph, which is personalized, is nm-m 8 on the book’s title page. Authentication is by Kevin Keating.
Minimum Bid $10.
|
 Lot 363. Baseball Signed by Amanda Borden and Jaycie Phelps, 1996 U.S. Gymnastics Olympic Team. Dubbed the “Magnificent Seven” at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, the members of the team earned the U.S. its first gold medal in the women’s team competition. For her leadership, Borden was selected as the team’s captain by the other members. Phelps signed the sweet spot of an ONL Coleman ball, and Borden, the north panel. Each added the year and the Olympic rings. Their autographs are nm 7 to nm-m 8. The off-white ball shows scattered discoloration.
Winning Bid $7.
|
 Lot 364. Autographs of Carl Lewis, Mary Lou Retton, Libby Riddles, Anna Kournikova, Etc. This collection includes signatures of Olympians and other athletes. Lewis won nine gold medals, including four in the long jump, in Olympics track and field events from 1984-96. His autograph is nm 7 to nm-m 8 on a 4” x 6” fan club card that has a pin hole at the top and another at the bottom. Retton captured the gold medal for her all-around performance in gymnastics at the 1984 Olympics. She signed an 8.25” x 10.75” composite photo with four images of her. Her signature is nm to nm-m. Kournikova, the tennis star, signed a 2003 Netpro card; nm-m 8. In 1985, Riddles became the first woman to win the Iditarod long-distance sled dog race. Her autograph is mint 9 on a maroon index card. Two signatures on color index cards are by Billy Mills, a Native American who won gold in the 10,000-meter event at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. Six autographs authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Winning Bid $12.
|
 Lot 365. 20 Figure Skater Autographs. Includes 8” x10” photos signed by Anna Galmarini, Dick Button (personalized), Freddie Trenkler (personalized), and Calla Urbanski and Rocky Marval (2, both personalized). Photos about 5” x 7” are signed by Elaine Zayak, Lawrence Demmy (program photo, horizontal fold), Michael Chack (personalized), Tonia Kwiatkowski (personalized; signed a post-it note as well) and Lisa Spitz (first name only). Calla Urbanski and Joe Mero 2.5” x 9” signed photo cards listing their accomplishments. Smaller photos have the autographs of Tenley Albright (signed on back, personalized), Pierre and Andree Brunet (signed on back by both), Scott Gregory (personalized), Rosalynn Sumners (personalized) and one other. April Sargent signed a homemade greeting card, and Scott Gregory signed a note. All but two of the autographs are nm 7 or better, and they average nm-m 8. The items exhibit minor overall handling wear. Most photos are glossy, although a few are on paper stock. A nice group from a sport that is seldom represented in autograph collections!
Winning Bid $25.
|
 Lot 366. 5 Autographs from the World of Track & Field. Three of these signers are in the National Track & Field Hall of Fame. 1. Earl Bell, nm-m 8 autograph on an 8” x10” photo with dual images. A pole vaulter and HoF member, he won the bronze medal at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. 2. Ellery H. Clark Jr. (died 1997) autographed 3” x 5” card; mint 9 signature. A professor of English and naval history and the track coach at the U.S. Naval Academy, Clark wrote three books on the Boston Red Sox and biographies of Cy Young, Tris Speaker, Lefty Grove, Joe Cronin and Smokey Joe Wood. He won a gold medal in speed walking in the Senior Olympics. 3. Payton Jordan (d. 2009) 4”x6” color photo boldly signed (mint 9) and dated “’87” by this famed track HOF coach! He coached at Occidental College and Stanford and was the coach of the 1968 U.S. Olympic track & field team. 4. Joe Yancey (d. 1991), “J. J. Yancey, Jr.” autograph (nm-m 8) as part of a return address on a full envelope postmarked 1972. This famed HoF track coach helped to develop many U.S. athletes and coached the Jamaican Olympic team in 1948, 1952 and 1956. 5. Larry Young, nm 7 to nm-m 8 autograph above a 6” x 5” photo in a 1972 issue of the “New York Times.” Young was a two-time Olympic medalist. He was the last American to medal in the Olympics walking competition.
Minimum Bid $20.
|
 Lot 367. 7 Autographs of Olympians or Coaches – Zmeskal, Benoit, Bixler and Higgins. U.S. gymnast Kim Zmeskal signed a handwritten note on her personal, embossed greeting reply card and an 8”x 10” color photo. The signatures – seldom seen - are mint 9 to gem mint 10. Zmeskal won a bronze medal in the team competition in the 1992 Olympics and captured a total of three gold medals in the 1991 and 1992 World Championships. Joan Benoit (Samuelson) autographed a 4”x 6” color postcard photo. Nm 7 signature. She won the first Olympics women's marathon it 1984 at Los Angeles. Her name is synonymous with the increased popularity of long distance running in the U.S. Dallas Bixler’s autograph, as “D. Bixler,” is nm-m 8 on a “Gold Medalist” (1932) Business Card. His is a tough autograph that appears on many “Gold Medal” lists. A gymnast, Bixler won the gold medal in the horizontal bar competition in the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. He died in 1990. Ralph Higgins, the Oklahoma State track coach and a member of the National Track & Field Hall of Fame, signed multiple items. He became the university’s head track coach in 1935. Over the next 32 years, his teams there won multiple titles, including 17-straight Missouri Valley Conference team championships. His 1954 cross country team won the national collegiate title, and his 1965 indoor track team was second at the national collegiate championships. After leaving OSU, he helped coach the U.S. Army track team. He died in 1993, and his autograph is rare. Offered here are: 1. A signed note —“only picture I have at hand.” 2. A signature on the verso of a trimmed snapshot Higgins referred to in his note. 3. The full envelope, signed “Ralph H,” which was used to mail the note and photo. The autographs on the note and the back of the photo are nm-m 8. Kevin Keating authenticated this impressive collection.
Winning Bid $10.
|
|
