RR Auction has been selling historic, entertainment, space and other collectibles for 40 years. Next month, the Boston-based company will launch its first auction dedicated strictly to sports memorabilia, with more than 650 items scheduled to go on the block including some rare baseball cards, championship rings, autographed items and game-used memorabilia.
The auction is set to run June 14-21 but an online preview of the items is live now.
CEO and founder Bob Eaton started as a teenager who collected baseball cards. From his parents’ basement, he launched a business that grew from a mail-order catalog sales operation to an international online auction house that specializes in what it calls “Rare and Remarkable” pieces of history.
“I’m very excited about the items we have to offer in this first sports auction,” Eaton remarked. “It’s great for me to come full circle and reconnect with fellow hobbyists who are as passionate as I am about sports.”
Some of the top items in the catalog include a 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers World Series ring originating with visiting clubhouse attendant George Grafton. The ring carries a pre-sale estimate of $15,000 or more. New England sports fans will find a 2007 Red Sox championship ring and the 1996 Patriots AFC Championship ring presented to running back Sam Gash.
The auction also includes a #41 Chicago Bears tear-away road jersey attributed to Brian Piccolo, the tragic inspiration for the film “Brian’s Song.” The jersey comes with a letter from Chicago area sports photographer Jack Wallin. Joseph Stadler’s history-making medal from the St. Louis 1904 Summer Olympics – the first silver medal ever won by an African-American athlete at the Games – will also be featured, along with medals from athletes who competed in the 1936, 1984 and 2004 Olympic games. A 1952 Brooklyn Dodgers panoramic photo signed by virtually the entire club including Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Duke Snider, Gil Hodges and Pee Wee Reese, is expected to fetch $20,000 or more.
Other important signed pieces include a candid photo of a young Muhammad Ali – autographed as Cassius Clay – from the 1960 Olympics, a letter written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who discusses Jackie Robinson’s contribution to the Civil Rights Movement, a Babe Ruth singled signed baseball, a dual signed ball with Ruth and Lou Gehrig and signed items from Ty Cobb, Jimmie Foxx and Roberto Clemente.
RR Auction’s first sports sale will also feature some rare and high-grade baseball cards. The sought-after offerings include:
Single cards from the 1800s
- 1895 N300 Mayo’s Cut Plug Ed Delahanty, PSA EX-MT 6
- 1887 N172 Old Judge John Ward, PSA EX-MT 6
- Large single card 1888 N173 Old Judge Cabinets Jim O’Rourke, PSA VG-EX 4
Pre-war cards
- 1933 Sport Kings #2 Babe Ruth, PSA EX-MT 6
- T206 Sweet Caporal 350/30 Vic Willis PSA NM-MT 8
- Graded T205 and T206 single cards
- 1915 Cracker Jack #14 Sam Crawford, PSA NM-MT 8
- High-grade post-war cards
Tom Seaver rookie card, MINT 9- 1968 Nolan Ryan/Jerry Koosman rookie card, NM-MT+ 8.5
- 1952 Bowman Mickey Mantle PSA 7
Collectors can obtain a free catalog by registering here; an online version of the catalog is also available. Bidding will happen June 14-21; the preview is live now.
For more information on RR Auction or consigning your own collection in their December Sports auction, visit their website.
Related Stories:
Peckinpaugh Items Earn $167K In RR Auction Sale
Second Jesse Owens Gold Medal Coming to Auction
Gold Medal From Controversial 1972 Olympic Basketball Final Coming to Auction
Photo of the Day: Hotel Restaurant’s Signed Receipts Include Ruth
Big Price for 1968 Grenoble Olympics Torch
1955 Dodgers World Series Ring Fetches Top Price At RR Auction Sale
Notes: Rare Cards in RR Auction; Matty Signed Ball Video; Mint ’61 Fleer Set Bidding; Blues Police Set
First 2012 Summer Olympics Medal at Auction
