Lelands Auctioning Gaylord Perry Collection

No, there is not an original autographed jar of Vaseline in the Gaylord Perry Collection in Lelands summer catalog that features memorabilia of the Hall of Fame pitcher.

Still, the 72 items being sold by the slippery right-hander are nothing to spit at.

The auction runs through June 17 at 9 p.m. Eastern time and includes items like championship rings, autographed baseballs, jerseys, bats and awards.

Perry had a 22-year-career as a pitcher, most notably with the San Francisco Giants and Cleveland Indians, and won 314 games. Whether Perry doctored the ball or threw a spitter was irrelevant — he made opposing batters think he was throwing one, and getting into their heads and distracting their concentration was his goal all along.

If you ever watched Perry work on the mound, he had all the mannerisms — going to his belt, cap, behind his ear, touching his hair, ear and pants leg before delivering his pitch. It would drive batters, opposing managers and even umpires crazy. It worked, too — Perry won 20 or more games five times, won the American League Cy Young Award in 1972, the National League Cy Young in 1978, and struck out 3,534 batters. He had 303 complete games and threw 53 shutouts, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991.

Some of the items on the block include the jersey Perry wore when he notched his 300^th career victory, and baseballs from his first major-league win (in 1962), his 3,000^th strikeout (in 1978), his 300th win (1982) and the ball used for the final out in his 1968 no-hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals.

The auction opened last week and the two items that have the highest bids are the World Series rings of 2010 and 2012 that were presented by the Giants to Perry. The 2010 ring signified the first World Series title for the franchise since it moved west from New York after the 1957 season.

Baseball card collectors will be intrigued by two of the lots up for auction. The first is Perry’s own complete 1962 Topps set, including hisrookie card (No. 199). It has a reserve of $5,000.  Perry, who was a regular at card shows for many years, put the collection together himself.

The second item is a collection of more than 1,600 cards featuring Perry, and every card is autographed by him.

That works out to 21 cents per autograph right now.

Now, did Perry really load up the baseball? Perhaps his 1974 book “Me and the Spitter;: An Autobiographical Confession“ provides an answer. Or perhaps this ESPN commercial might solve the puzzle.

Unlikely. Because even in retirement, Perry remains coyly elusive about doctoring the baseball.

But if you’re interested in bidding on items from his long career, you’ll have to come in strong or they might slip out of your hands.

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About Bob D'Angelo

Bob has been a sportswriter and copy editor for more than 35 years and a blogger for a decade. He is celebrating his 50th year of card collecting, and still counts his 1965 Topps Mickey Mantle as his favorite. You can reach him at [email protected].