The autographed baseball as a fundraiser may not have originated with Babe Ruth but it’s pretty clear he spent a lot of time signing balls for that purpose. Paging through some newspapers from a century ago, I stumbled on a few clippings that make it clear there were plenty of Ruth signed baseballs in circulation by the time he completed his first calendar year with the … [Read more...]
2016 World Series “Last Out” Gloves Headline Goldin Sale
With thousands of collectors convening in Chicago at the National Sports Collectors Convention during the first week of August, it's not surprising that Goldin Auctions' annual live auction is loaded with historic collectibles of Chicago athletes. The most buzz-worthy lot includes both of the gloves worn by Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo when they combined for the final … [Read more...]
Ruth Memorabilia Sets Pace in $8.37 Million REA Sale
There were thousands of items up for auction, but when the dust settled early Monday morning, Babe Ruth memorabilia once again rose to the top as Robert Edward Auctions closed out its fall catalog event. Six items sold for over $100,000 and four were Ruth-related, led by a high-grade early 1920s single-signed baseball which garnered $144,000. A circa-1927 ball signed … [Read more...]
Ruth-Gehrig Signed Ball Tops Goldin Sale
Winning bids ranged from $61 to more than $42,000 in Goldin Auctions’ June Internet Auction over the weekend. More than 800 lots of sports, entertainment, historical and pop-culture memorabilia were offered in the online catalog. Top price went to a dual-signed 1927 American League baseball carrying the autographs of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, which sold for … [Read more...]
1955 Dodgers World Series Ring Fetches Top Price At RR Auction Sale
Bidders had a sentimental streak during RR Auction’s inaugural dedicated sports event, favoring The Boys of Summer and “Brian’s Song” over a bevy of sports memorabilia items. More than a dozen sports items brought in five-figure payouts for consignors on Friday, but the top item was a 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers World Series championship ring that fetched $45,049, including … [Read more...]
Notes: NSCC Autograph Schedule; Ohtani Superfractor Found; Babe Ruth News; Dale Jr’s Touching Story
TRISTAR Productions, which operates the autograph pavilion at the National Sports Collectors Convention, has released dates and times for the confirmed signers at this year's show in Cleveland August 1-5. Over 100 current and former athletes and coaches are among those set to appear at the I-X Center. You can see the complete schedule here, although it is subject to … [Read more...]
Notes: Once Unloved, Ruth Ball Will Fetch Big Bucks; Ex-Bills Coach’s Playbooks on eBay
Ignored for decades after being acquired by a 1920s youngster, a Babe Ruth autographed ball is now getting its just due. The signed ball, barely handled since it was acquired in Los Angeles more than 90 years ago, sat in a dingy basement for much of its life, still inside the original box. Now it’s the pick of a litter of Ruth signed balls in the current … [Read more...]
Collection of Historic Yankees Memorabilia at Auction
It’s a New York Yankees collection so impressive that it’s getting its own auction. A multi-million dollar accumulation of pinstripe paraphernalia collected by one avid fan has opened for bidding through Heritage Auctions, led by the earliest known Babe Ruth game model bat, dating to his 1915 rookie season, five years before his groundbreaking sale from the Red Sox. … [Read more...]
The Babe Ruth Ball in Bloomingdale’s Wall
Last year, we wrote about author Laurie Gwen Shapiro stumbling across a story from 1930 that’s the stuff of every sports collector’s fantasy. In researching another topic through old newspaper archives, she saw coverage of Bloomingdale’s department store placing a time capsule inside the cornerstone of their new building in Manhattan. By itself, that was an … [Read more...]
Notes: Stefano Joins Goldin; Dying Babe Sends Baseballs; Green Jacket Dispute
Goldin Auctions has named sports marketing and collectibles industry veteran Jim Stefano its new Director of Marketing and Business Development. The move allows Stefano to return to his New Jersey roots after spending four years as Senior Director of Product Development at Panini America in Texas. Previous to that he spent five years at Access Sports Media in New York … [Read more...]