Items showcasing legendary athletes across multiple sports are part of a live online sports memorabilia auction taking place June 8 through Chicago-based Hindman Auctions. The auction features property from the collection of acclaimed journalist and author Allen Abel. Spanning Abel’s career of over four decades, the collection includes on- site ephemera from major events.
Lots include signed and unsigned items featuring Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, Mickey Mantle, Jackie Robinson and other greats. A large selection of vintage sports cards is also part of the catalog featuring several hundred pieces.
Among the items in the sale are a 1930s Spalding Babe Ruth Special baseball autographed by Ruth and fellow Yankees legend Lou Gehrig along with a 1936 World Series champion New York Yankees ball including Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio and other members of the Yankees’ first title without Ruth and fifth overall.
Also on offer in the June auction will be an important 1955 Negro Baseball All Stars barnstorming tour signed program, including autographs from Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, and Larry Doby. The team compiled a 28-0 record as it courageously played games across a deeply segregated south and southwestern United States. Mays once remarked that the group of players “might have been the best team ever assembled.”
Michael Jordan and other basketball icons will also be reflected in the auction. Highlights include a 1985 Interlake Boy Scout Michael Jordan Rookie card and several early Star and Fleer Jordan cards. Bidders will also have the chance to bring a piece of United Center history into their homes through two stadium chairs, including one that is Jordan’s last season with the Bulls.
Other marquee items include a 2001 Muhammad Ali “Athlete of the Century” LeRoy Neiman Artist’s Proof Serigraph signed by Ali and Neiman and numbered 34/150 and several items from the classic fights between Ali and Sonny Liston in the 1960s, a 1953 Jesse Owens signed contract and a 2006 Upper Deck Authenticated Tiger Woods signed red shirt display commemorating his 2006 PGA Championship victory.
Collectors of vintage cards will appreciate an original vintage Exhibit card vending machine that includes a Mantle card in the front display and several other cards inside as well as a low grade 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card.
There are numerous pre-and post-War sports card lots and singles in the sale as well as vintage baseball yearbooks and special event programs, World Series press pins, a 1959 Yankees lineup card signed by Casey Stengel and other items.
Bidding for the June 8 auction is online only and will begin at 10am CT. Private previews of the auction are available at Hindman’s Chicago office by appointment. Additional information about the auction including the registration form can be found on the sale page.
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