Lot 5. NY Yankees 1942 Team Baseball Signed by McCarthy, DiMaggio, Dickey and Gomez. Twenty-four autographs are on an ex-m Official American League Harridge baseball. Fourteen signatures are ex 5 to nm 7. They include Joe McCarthy (nm 7) on the sweet spot; George Selkirk, Jim Turner, Hank Borowy and Joe DiMaggio (ex 5 to ex-m 6) on the north panel; Marv Breuer and Bud Hassett on the south; Lefty Grove (ex 5) on the east; and Bill Dickey (ex-m 6), Roy Cullenbine, Charlie Keller, Arthur Fletcher (coach), Tuck Stainback and a second Joe DiMaggio (ex 5 to ex-m 6) autograph on the west. Eight more autographs are generally vg-ex 4, with some vg-ex 4 to ex 5: Rollie Hemsley (vg 3 to vg-ex 4) above McCarthy on the sweet spot; Phil Rizzuto and Spud Chandler on the north; Red Ruffing, Red Rolfe, John Lindell, Ernie (Tiny) Bonham and one indecipherable on the south; and Johnny Murphy on the east. The ball also has a clubhouse Joe Gordon signature. These Yankees finished the season atop the American League, nine games ahead of the Red Sox. In the World Series, they lost to the Cardinals in five games.
Winning Bid $1,129
Lot 205. Luke Appling Autograph on a Panel of an ONL Giamatti Baseball. In 20 seasons at shortstop for the Chicago White Sox, “Old Aches and Pains” was a seven-time All-Star and two-time A.L. batting champion that recorded 2,749 hits, 1,116 RBI and .310 career batting average. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1964. He died in 1991. His south panel signature in ballpoint is nm-m 8. Toning makes the ball ex-m. The pre-printed areas are fully intact.
Minimum Bid $40
Lot 206. Ken Griffey Jr. Black C271 Signature Model Bat Boldly Signed in Silver Sharpie. Impressive mint 9 to gem mint 10 autograph on the nm-m 34” Louisville Slugger circa 1991 Seattle Mariners bat. In 2016, his first year of eligibility, Griffey was inducted into the Hall of Fame with 99.3 percent of the votes cast. His 630 home runs place him seventh on the all-time home run list, and with 1,836 RBI, he is 16th on that list. Exceptional defensively, he earned 10 Gold Glove Awards.
Winning Bid $321
Lot 207. Eddie Mathews Autograph on the Sweet Spot of an Official NL Baseball. Mathews’ signature is nm-m 8 to mint 9 on an nm to mint ONL William White baseball. The ball is presented in a display with a plate that provides highlights of Mathews’ career: the only person to play for the Braves in Boston, Milwaukee and Atlanta; 512 career homes runs; and a combined 1,267 home runs with Hank Aaron, 60 more than Ruth and Gehrig. Mathews was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1978. He died in 2001. “The Sporting News” ranked him 63rd on its list of best 100 players of the 20th century.
Minimum Bid $35
Lot 208. Stan Musial Sweet Spot Autograph on an ONL Giamatti Baseball. Bold, beautiful ballpoint mint 9 signature on a mint 9 baseball. In 1999, “The Sporting News” ranked Musial 10th on its list of 100 best players of the 20th Century. In 1953, Ty Cobb described Musial this way: “No man has ever been a perfect ballplayer. Stan Musial, however, is the closest thing to perfection in the game today.” According to “TSN,” Musial’s “love for baseball was genuine, his rapport with the fans was enduring.” Musial died in 2013.
Winning Bid $125
Lot 209. Pete Rose Autographed Adirondack 302F Big Stick Name-Model Bat. Rose placed a mint 9 signature on the barrel of this comparatively heavy 36” piece of nm-m lumber. The number “90” is imprinted on the knob. Rose was the 1963 N.L. Rookie of the Year and a 17-time All-Star. Thirty-four years after his playing days ended, he remains baseball’s career leader in hits (4.256), singles (3,215) and games played (3,562).
Winning Bid $50
Lot 210. Pete Rose Signed Baseball with the Apology “I’m Sorry I Bet on Baseball.” Mint 9 to gem mint 10 signature on the nm-m OML Robert Manfred baseball. Rose signed the panel west of Manfred’s name. Despite the apology, Rose remains permanently ineligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame after being found guilty of betting on baseball games as a player and manager. He was banned in 1989. Rose was a .303 career batter. When he retired, he held the records for career hits (4,256), games played (3,562), times at bat (14,053) and most seasons with at least 200 hits (10).
Winning Bid $45
Lot 211. Gary Sheffield Signed Rawlings Big Stick Professional Model Bat. Sheffield’s name is imprinted on the barrel of this 34” nm-m bat, which has two authentication labels, one on the knob and one on the barrel. Sheffield’s autograph is nm-m 9 to gem mint 10. An outfielder for eight different teams 1988-2009, Sheffield concluded his career as a member of the 500 home run club (509). His numbers also include 2,689 hits, 1,676 RBI and a .292 batting average. He was an All-Star nine times and received five Silver Slugger Awards. Sheffield’s numbers place him 26th in all-time home runs, 30th in career RBI, 21st in walks and 39th in runs scored. This star has nicely signed the Big Stick bat.
Winning Bid $65
Lot 212. Oscar Taveras Rawlings PRO Model Black Bat Beautifully Signed in Silver Sharpie. The 22-year-old St. Louis Cardinals outfielder autographed this bat on Oct. 17, 2014 - just one day after his team’s season-ending NLCS loss to the San Francisco Giants. Sadly, that game was the young star’s last. Just nine days later, baseball lost a rising star when he and his girlfriend died in a car accident in the Dominican Republic. Cardinals chairman William DeWitt, Jr. called Taveras “an amazing talent with a bright future who was taken from us well before his time.” John Mozeliak, the team’s general manager, said “I first met Oscar when he was 16 years old and will forever remember him as a wonderful young man who was a gifted athlete with an infectious love for life who lived every day to the fullest.” Before reaching the Majors in 2014, Taveras spent six seasons in the minors and batted .321 with a .519 slugging percentage. He won batting titles in two minor leagues and frequently was compared to Vladimir Guerrero. Like Guerrero, Taveras was born in the Dominican Republic. From ages 12-16, he lived in Canada and became a Canadian citizen. Subsequently, he returned to the Dominican Republic. Taveras’ autograph on the 34” bat is gem mint 10, and the bat is nm-m.
Minimum Bid $50
Lot 213. ONL Giamatti Baseball Autographed by 24 Brooklyn Dodgers – Amoros, Moore, Bessent, Etc. These autographs were collected at card shows in the New York area. The ball is mint. Nick Tremark (died 2000), Ed Roebuck (d. 2018) and “Frenchy” Bordagaray (d. 2000) signed the sweet spot. Here are the other signers: North panel – Russ Meyer (d. 1997), Cal McLish (d. 2010), Howie Schultz (d. 2009), Jan Van Cuyk (d. 2010), Tommy Holmes (d. 2008) and Bob Borkowski (d. 2017). South panel – Fred Sington (d. 1998), Pete Coscarart (d. 2002), Jim Hughes (d. 2001), Don Bessent (d. 1990), Bob Milliken (d. 2007) and Mal Mallette (d. 2005). West panel – Jim Gentile, Rex Barney (d. 1997) and Ray Moore (d. 1995). East panel – Sandy Amoros (d. 1992), Ben Wade (d. 2002), Dick Teed (d. 2014), Gino Cimoli (d. 2011), Buddy Hassett (d. 1997) and Bobby Morgan. The signatures of Amoros, Bessent and Moore and especially difficult to find. These autographs are nm-m 8 and better. Gentile and Morgan are the only living players among these 24 signers.
Winning Bid $113
Lot 214. 12 Single-Signed Baseballs – Parrish, Tanana, Jim Wynn, Yeager, Etc. These autographs are generally nm-m 8, with some better, on Rawlings or Wilson nm-m “Official League” baseballs: Jim Nettles (nm 7 autograph), Ron Oester, Joe Oliver, Ricky Otero, Lance Parrish, (Jason) Jay Passmore, Desi Relaford, Bill Robinson (died 2007), Frank Tanana, Ed Watt, Jim Wynn (d. 2020), and Steve Yeager. Parrish was an eight-time All-Star who earned six Silver Slugger and three Gold Glove Awards. At the peak of his career, Sparky Anderson declared him “the best catcher in baseball.” Drafted by the Brewers in 1975, Passmore played in the minors. Tanana was a three-time All-Star who won 240 games in 21 seasons and at least 12 games 12 times. Watt was a relief pitcher on the Orioles’ 1970 championship team. Selected for the N.L All-Star squad three times, Wynn hit at least 20 home runs in eight seasons and 30 or more in three. Yeager was the 1981 MVP as he and his Dodgers’ teammates won the World Series.
Winning Bid $75
