The football Johnny Unitas used to throw a touchdown pass to Raymond Berry in the 1958 NFL Championship Game, dubbed “The Greatest Game Ever Played” is among the items in Huggins & Scott’s latest auction. The ball, snared by Berry in the second quarter of the overtime game that helped propel pro football to unprecedented popularity, includes provenance detailing the chain of ownership. It’s one of few surviving relics from the contest at Yankee Stadium and carries a $10,000 opening bid and $40,000-$75,000 estimate.
Huggins and Scott will also offer thousands of vintage sports cards including a partial set break of the 1911 T205 Gold Border set, with
each card graded by PSA, a newly found M101-5 near set including a SGC 60 Joe Jackson; a seldom-offered W600 Honus Wagner (SGC 30); a new find of 1912 Underwood & Underwood real photo postcards with Christy Mathewson; a rare E223 1888 G&B Chewing Gum card of Con Daily; several rare backs and tough T206 White Borders, including a Hal Chase with a Red Hindu back and nearly a dozen different 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth cards of all different grades.
Post-War cards being offered include a PSA 3 example of the red-hot 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle #311; a 1952 Topps Frank Campos “black star on back” PSA 7 (Only known PSA 7); 1951 Bowman Willie Mays PSA 5.5; a 1963 Topps Pete Rose rookie PSA 8, hundreds of complete and near sets including a 1953 Bowman Color Baseball set (#21 on PSA Registry) and two 29-cent 1960 Topps baseball unopened rack packs recently discovered among the forgotten inventory of a long-closed Philadelphia variety shop.
A complete run of brown Hall of Fame bats is up for grabs as well, including buyer rights to all future offerings; a number of rare Type 1 original photographs and negatives with subjects including Ruth, Gehrig, Williams, Joe Jackson, Walter Johnson and others; and a variety of vintage publications and tickets from the turn-of-the-century to modern-day including a 1912 World Series ticket stub.
Game-used memorabilia in the auction includes a 1947 Ted Williams game used Louisville Slugger bat that was cut in half and signed by the team; a 1955 Roy McMillan Reds flannel; game used and signed cleats from Cal Ripken, Chipper Jones and Derek Jeter; the earliest known Brooks Robinson game used hat from his 1956 San Antonio Missions minor league season along with other game-used bats, jerseys, jackets, hats, shoes and equipment.
Huggins and Scott also has a very rare 1920s Notre Dame game worn sideline jacket (with photo matches); a 1930s Green Bay Packers players’ sideline wool blanket; actor Tommy Lee Jones’ 1968 “Harvard Beats Yale 29-29” gold pendant; Sammy Baugh’s handwritten 1935-36 TCU playbook and Alonzo Mourning’s game used jersey from his Wounded Warriors pick up game, signed by 13 including President Obama, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.
To browse the auction for the rest of the quality pieces being auctioned, or to download the catalog, visit www.hugginsandscott.com.