Bats from Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb, jerseys from Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays and Stan Musial and and hundreds of other sports artifacts—most from the same one-owner collection—are part of the 2019 Louisville Slugger Factory & Museum Auction.
The 19th annual event is already live, but finishes with a live sale at the facility on November 9.
As we reported last month, the auction will feature the Green Diamond Gallery Collection, one of the most significant private accumulations of baseball memorabilia ever been assembled. Beginning at a very young age, Dayton, OH native Bob Crotty began piecing together elements of the collection which grew into a passion for sharing the items with baseball fans through his Green Diamond Gallery museum in Montgomery, Ohio. The private museum and club was formed in 2007, welcoming not only baseball fans but also playing host to dozens of Hall of Famers and others who came to speak at special events and meet with club members.
The collection includes over 100 Hall of Fame member jerseys, hundreds of game used bats (most Hall of Famers), thousands of autographed items including the vast majority of Hall of Fame players, stadium artifacts, photography, awards, presentational items, and original artwork. According to Hunt Auctions, the collection features numerous items which are regarded as the best examples within their particular collecting category.
The collection is so large Hunt Auctions will be selling other parts of it in future events.
The initial offering in Louisville has a heavy focus on Hall of Fame player related jerseys, bats, and autographed items including:
-1960 Mickey Mantle New York Yankees home jersey (Est. $150,000-$300,000)
-Babe Ruth baseball bat c.1928-29 (PSA/DNA GU8) (Est. $100,000-$200,000)
-Ty Cobb baseball bat c. 1925-28 (PSA/DNA GU7) (Est. $50,000-$75.000)
-Harry Hooper Boston Red Sox home uniform c.1919(SGC EX) (Est. $75,000-$125,000)
-1954 Stan Musial St. Louis Cardinals home jersey (SCG EX) (Est. $50,000-$100,000)
-1958 Willie Mays San Francisco Giants home jersey (SGC FR) (Est. $75,000-$100,000)
-1915 “Shoeless” Joe Jackson autographed Recognizance Bond (Est. $40,000-$60,000)
-Important Homestead Grays autographed sheet with Josh Gibson c.1930s (Est. $50,000-$100,000)
The collection boasts one of the most impressive selections of Cincinnati Reds related items in private hands. Among the items in the Louisville catalog:
-1974 Pete Rose home jersey (SGC Superior) (Est. $7,500-$10,000)
-Original Crosley Field stadium locker (Est. $4,000-$6,000)
-1907 Cincinnati Reds team composite photo by Carl Horner (Est. $5,000-$7,500)
-1940 Cincinnati Reds World Series ring (Est. $15,000-$25,000
-1975 Cincinnati Reds World Series ring (Est. $5,000-$10,000)
-1976 Cincinnati Reds World Series ring (Est. $5,000-$10,000)
-1990 Tom Browning Cincinnati Reds World Series ring (Est. $15,000-$25,000)
All items will be open for public preview at the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory on November 7h and 8 with the live auction beginning at 10 AM on the 9th. The online catalog is also live at HuntAuctions.com.
Crotty will be donating a portion of the auction proceeds to Tony LaRussa’s Animal Rescue Foundation. (ARF)’s Pets and Vets Program, which matches specially selected shelter dogs with veterans struggling with health issues.
In advance of the live auction event, Hall of Fame member Mike Schmidt will be presented with the 2019 Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory Living Legend Award on Friday, November 8 in a private ticketed ceremony. The Hall of Famer’s long career included 548 career home runs and, three National League MVP awards.
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