Jim Brown’s 1964 NFL championship ring and an autographed 1954-55 Ted Williams uniform featuring a black armband honoring the tragic loss of Harry Agganis are among the memorable items up for bid in the new Lelands catalog auction.
The auction at www.lelands.com also features a 1960s Willie Mays San Francisco Giants game-worn jacket and Mays game-used bat, a 1944 Cy Young handwritten signed letter in which the career pitching wins leader details the “best hitters” he ever faced and also discusses his mechanics and the soul of pitching, a locker used by Derek Jeter during the 2000 World Series, and a ticket stub from the 1935 game in which Babe Ruth hit the final three home runs – including the famed “714” – of his career.
Bidding for the Jim Brown championship ring stood at $33,275 as of late Monday while the Williams uniform was at $30,275.
Brown told a Minnesota reporter on Monday that the ring was “stolen from him in the 1960’s”, but it’s actually the second time it has come up for auction. According to Lelands, the ring was obtained directly from a Brown immediate family member and sold back in 1998. During that original auction preview, Lelands says Jim Brown himself inspected the ring and acknowledged its authenticity.
The Williams uniform was originally sold through Wolffer’s Auctions in 1993 and according to Lelands, the original buyer has had it ever since. The Red Sox wore armbands following the death of their teammate, Harry Agganis, who was felled by a blood clot in 1955 at age 26. Sometime in the 1980s,
Williams signed the uniform and added his number. It’s one of only two known full Williams uniforms to have ever been publicly offered.
In keeping with Lelands tradition, the auction also includes one exceptionally unique, non-traditional piece: the first and only true “baseball” car – a custom-designed 2000 Volkswagen Beetle featuring a white exterior with red baseball stitches, Rawlings baseball glove seats, a baseball gear shift and baseball
bat emergency brake. The car was won by a Yankee Stadium vendor in a Cracker Jack promotion 14 years ago and has 67,000 miles on it.
Other items in the auction include Mickey Cochrane’s 1929 Philadelphia Athletics World Championship ring and Hall of Fame introduction plaque, a 1938 American League All-Star team-signed baseball, Lou Brock’s Hall of Fame plaque and several other pieces from the Cardinals Hall of Famer, a Hank Aaron game-used glove, a ticket from Mickey Mantle’s Yankees debut on April 17, 1951, and a Honus Wagner T206 pose first-generation vintage photograph by Carl Horner.
“From Jim Brown’s only NFL championship ring and Ted William’s 1954-55 game-worn jersey to the ‘baseball car’, the boxing tickets and the personal collections of several Baseball Hall of Famers including Mickey Cochrane, Lou Brock and Red Schoendienst, this auction has it all,” said Lelands.com Founder and Chairman Joshua Evans.
In addition, the sale boasts a major collection of boxing tickets, headlined by a full, unused ticket from the 1971 Ali/Frazier “Fight of the Century,” a complete ticket from the 1964 bout in which the-then Cassius Clay defeated Sonny Liston, and a full ticket from Ali’s 1972 fight with Mac Foster, which is arguably the most beautiful of any Ali fight tickets.
The Lelands Spring 2014 Catalog Auction also features the actual saddle worn by Hall of Fame jockey Braulio Baeza when he rode Chateaugay to victory at the 1963 Kentucky Derby, celebrated sports artist Leroy Neiman’s “The Fighting Face of Muhammad Ali” boxing glove, and the only known signed photo of President Kennedy’s meeting with the 1963 World Champion Boston Celtics.
Additionally, Lelands.com will be auctioning off an array of Americana and Rock & Roll memorabilia, most notably a cotton suit owned and worn by KFC founder Colonel Harland David Sanders, a 1970s Pete Townsend stage-used Gibson SG guitar, percussion pieces used by The Who’s Keith Moon during the band’s 1973-74 Quadrophenia Tour, and a signed Neil Armstrong photo.
The auction continues through July 25 at Lelands.com. Other highlights include:
Highlights from the Lelands.com auction include, among others:
- Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig Signed Baseball(Reserve: $2,000+)
- 2000’s Game Worn Cardinals Jerseys(Reserve: $1,000+)
- 1999 New York Yankees World Championship Ring (Reserve: $5,000)
- 1999 New York Yankees World Series Trophy (Reserve: $2,000+)
- 2008 Philadelphia Phillies World Series Championship Ring (Reserve: $5,000)
- 1949 George Kell Detroit Tigers Game Worn Jersey with Hat (Reserve:$2,000+)
- Large Collections of St. Louis Cardinals Team Signed Baseballs (Reserve: $500)
Sports Photography
- Ty Cobb First Generation Vintage Photograph By Carl Horner (Reserve: $500)
Basketball
- 1974 Boston Celtics World Championship Ring (Reserve: $2000+)
- 1989 Seton Hall NCAA Basketball Final Four Ring (Reserve: $1,500+)
- Early 1970’s New York Nets ABA Fleece Warm Up Top (Reserve: $1,000+)
Football
- 1941 Chicago Bears NFL World Championship Award (Reserve: $1,000+)
- 1992 Buffalo Bills AFC Champions Ring and Presentation Box (Reserve: $2,000+)
- Exceptional Curly Lambeau Signed Photo In 1946 Green Bay Packers Book (Reserve: $1,000+)
Hockey
- 1969-70 Chicago Blackhawks NHL Championship Ring (Reserve: $1,800+)
- 1992 Pittsburgh Penguins Stanley Cup Championship Ring (Reserve: $2,000+)
Americana
- Neil Armstrong Signed Photo (Two LOAs) (Reserve: $1,000+)