A 1950s era Ted Williams game jersey sold for $258,500 while dozens of items related to one of baseball’s most historic franchises also found new homes in the annual memorabilia auction hosted on the day of the MLB All-Star Game.
The Williams jersey and one of his bats dating to the 1940s, both fresh to the hobby, had plenty of interest from bidders who participated online and in person at the Los Angeles event. The bat, dating to the season of his fourth batting championship in 1948, went for $47,500.
Several private collections and museum caliber individual pieces were also hammered down during the 475+ lot sale.
The 2022 event showcased a large and significant archive of materials from the family of Charles and Horace Stoneham. Beginning in 1919 Charles Stoneham purchased the New York Giants baseball franchise for the sum of $1 million and enjoyed great success during his tenure along with the leadership of manager John McGraw. The Giants appeared in six World Series winning three in 1921, 1922, and 1933 until Charles’ passing in 1936. Charles’ son Horace Stoneham then took control of the and continued the Giants winning ways again capturing NL pennants in 1936, 1937, 1951, and 1962, winning the World Series in 1954. Notably, Horace re-located the Giants franchise to San Francisco in 1958 over economic factors.
Many of the items within the collection had not been previously displayed to the public.
A Willie Mays home uniform dating to 1972 was the top selling item in the collection at $188,000 while one of his road uniforms from the same year netted nearly $100,000.
A pair of cleats attributed to wear by Bobby Thomson when he delivered his famous pennant-winning home run against the Dodgers in 1951 sold for $82,500.
Other items were much older. An 1891 New York Giants team stock certificate signed by 19th century stars Tim Keefe and John Ward Sold for $58,750 while one autographed by Buck Ewing netted $41,125. Signatures of all three Hall of Famers are exceedingly rare.
“The significance of the collection was clearly reflected in the bidding leading to outstanding pricing overall,” remarked David Hunt, President of Hunt Auctions, which conducts the auction each year.
“We are extremely proud of the legacy that Charles and Horace Stoneham left within the game of baseball,” stated Peter Rupert, great-grandson/grandson of Charles and Horace Stoneham. “We have been blessed to grow up within the family that is baseball and are very pleased to have been able to share some of our memorabilia with the public and fans of the Giants’ franchise.”
Numerous other Giants stock certificates dating to the early days of the franchise in the late 19th and early 20th century, all bearing signatures, were also sold by the Stoneham family.
Other items in the auction included:
-1959 Pee Wee Reese Los Angeles Dodgers World Series ring (Sold for $52,875)
-1955 Joe Black Brooklyn Dodgers World Series ring (Sold for $64,625)
-1964 Roberto Clemente professional model baseball bat (PSA/DNA GU10) (Sold for $52,875)
– Vida Blue 1971 American League Most Valuable Player award (Sold for $40,000)
-1919 Babe Ruth Boston Red Sox photograph (PSA/DNA Type I) (Sold for $35,520)
-1955 Topps Jackie Robinson autographed card (PSA/DNA 8 NM-MT) (Sold for $29,375)
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