One star was fading but another was there to assume the mantel… or should we say “Mantle.” That moment on April 15, 1951 when soon to be retired veteran Joe DiMaggio and teen rookie Mickey Mantle were posed together captured a changing of the guard for the Yankees, who had an unbroken line of baseball icons in the lineup from the early 1920s to the late 60s. The … [Read more...]
1951 Mantle Contact Proof Photo Tops Huggins & Scott Auction
He would become synonymous with the number 7, but for the first three months of Mickey Mantle's career, he wore a different digit on the back of his Yankee uniform. A one-of-a-kind contact proof image of the teenage star and his earliest big league uniform from the files of noted photographer Bill Jacobellis has sold at auction for $20,912. The 4x5 image carrying … [Read more...]
Photo of the Day: Willie Mays Image from 1952 Topps Card at Auction
It doesn’t get the attention—or the price—of Mickey Mantle’s iconic card from the same set but who wouldn’t want to own the first Topps card of Willie Mays? Like Mantle, Mays was at the dawn of a Hall of Fame career and his appearance in the most popular of all post-War sets is just another element to its stature. Now, RMY Auctions is giving collectors something … [Read more...]
Groundskeeper’s Son Consigns Plate from Thomson’s Homer
The search for the ball Bobby Thomson hit to famously win the 1951 pennant for the New York Giants has been the subject of tavern gossip, news stories—even a book and short film--but what happened to it likely will never be known. The same for the uniform he wore on that early October day. His bat is the Hall of Fame. His cap sold for $173,000 in an auction … [Read more...]
Morphy Auctions Launches Sports Division
Pennsylvania-based Morphy Auctions is launching a new Sports Memorabilia Division. The company kick off its first sports-only event October 26 with a 500-lot sale. Morphy’s Sports Memorabilia Division will be headed by Tommy Sage, Jr., who joined forces with Dan Morphy in 2004 to establish Morphy Auctions. Sage is a long-time collector of sports items and also … [Read more...]
Photo of the Day: End of the Line for DiMaggio
It didn’t become official until December but by the fall of 1951, it was fairly clear Joe DiMaggio’s career was coming to an end. The RMY Auctions Photo of the Day is a composite image created for distribution by Acme News in October of that year as stories circulated on the Yankee Clipper’s future plans. It paints a sad portrait of DiMaggio, who had struggled … [Read more...]
Mickey Mantle 1951 Spring Training Photo at Auction
"He's the greatest prospect I've seen in my time, and I go back quite a ways. I'll swear I expect to see that boy just take off and fly any time." —Bill Dickey on Mickey Mantle He was only 19 years old, still very much a country kid from Commerce, OK when he arrived at the New York Yankees’ 1951 spring training camp. Mickey Mantle was a great name for a ballplayer but … [Read more...]
Photo of the Day: Mantle Stares at His Future
He made the number 7 famous in baseball circles but Mickey Mantle didn't start his big league career with it. He was a teen prospect from Commerce, OK in April of 1951, wearing number 6 and crossing the plate when a news photographer snapped one of the more interesting Mantle photos you'll see. Our Photo of the Day from RMY Auctions shows Mantle shaking hands as he crosses … [Read more...]
Matson Jersey at Auction; Recalls 1950s Racial Climate
In the fall of 1951, Ollie Matson did everything right. As the punishing, 220-pound senior running back for the University of San Francisco, Matson – a 6’ 2” African-American – led the nation in rushing (1,566 yards) and scoring (21 touchdowns, 126 points) and guided the Dons to a perfect 9-0 season. Despite the team’s undefeated record, USF wasn’t invited to play in any … [Read more...]
Mantle Photo with Family Dates from First Yankee Spring Start
The New York Yankees went west for spring training in 1951, acting more like a touring band of barnstormers than the defending World Series champions. Games in Arizona and California preceded a trip to the Midwest and the Yanks’ California-born players got most of the starts. Finally, on April 10, Mickey Mantle’s name was finally written on the lineup card. The Vintage … [Read more...]