The story behind the provenance is definitely a little different but a World Series-used Roberto Clemente bat is coming to auction this summer. Heritage Auctions will offer the 36-inch, 36.6 ounce Louisville Slugger attributed to use in the 1971 World Series in its Summer Platinum Auction. Included is a letter from a Pittsburgh Pirates executive and even a newspaper … [Read more...]
Clemente’s Last All-Star Game Ring Headed to Auction
Roberto Clemente’s last All-Star Game ring, presented to the Hall of Famer just five months before his death in a New Year’s Eve plane crash in Puerto Rico, is about to go on the auction block for the first time. Mile High Card Company will offer the ring in its upcoming catalog auction where it’s expected to fetch a six-figure price. “He was one of the most beloved … [Read more...]
High-Grade Roberto Clemente Cards: How They Stack Up
His career was tragically cut short but you can find his baseball cards from the era of Topps vs. Bowman to "all 660 cards in one series." Roberto Clemente remains among the most popular players in history and cards from his playing days are big sellers, especially those that look as sharp as the day they came out of the pack or vending box. But which Clemente cards … [Read more...]
Jackie Robinson, 19th Century Items Highlight Love of the Game Auction
Significant pieces of history from the 1940s and the 19th century will highlight Love of the Game Auctions’ 2018 Fall Premier Auction. Bidding is already open and will run through Nov. 24. The highlight for the internet-based sports auction house will be a Heilbroner Baseball Bureau information card completed in 1946 by Jackie Robinson. Louis Heilbroner managed the … [Read more...]
Banks, Namath Rookie Cards Top $1.86 Million Memory Lane Auction
Pristine vintage cardboard again drew a large contingent of bidders to the auction block as Memory Lane wrapped up its Spring Auction early Sunday morning. Chasing high-grade rookie cards, stars, sets and tough to find singles along with notable memorabilia pieces, they pushed the final sales total over the $1.86 million mark. Top billing in the auction went to a PSA 9 … [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...]
“Shows Good Breeding”; Branch Rickey’s Scouting Reports Digitized, Online
Baseball scouting reports of one of the most famous baseball executives and scouts in history, Branch Rickey, who was also responsible for helping Jackie Robinson successfully break Major League Baseball’s color line, have been digitized and are now available online for the first time from the Library of Congress. The archive was digitized in time for Major League Baseball’s … [Read more...]
Second Part of Clemente Memorabilia Collection at Auction
Session II of the personal collection of iconic Hall of Fame member Roberto Clemente is being offered by Hunt Auctions in its April online/phone auction. Part One of the auction was held during last summer’s MLB All-Star FanFest Auction in Miami. Set to close April 18, the auction will include Clemente’s 1970 Pittsburgh Pirates player contract, a 1973 Louisville … [Read more...]
Lost Childhood Collection of All-Star Autographs Discovered
He thought they were gone forever, tossed out or lost with other childhood keepsakes. Then Al Mead got a phone call. A cousin in Florida was going through some boxes and discovered a pair of old notebooks that he knew belonged to his baseball-loving relative. Inside were autographs Al had collected as a young boy in Boston back in the early 1960s. “I … [Read more...]
Jackie Robinson Cap with Beanball Protection Soars to $590,994
A cap worn early in Jackie Robinson’s career sold for $590,994 early Saturday morning in a Lelands.com auction. The blue Brooklyn Dodgers wool cap included three protective plates sewn into the lining to aid the first African-American big leaguer as he faced pitches thrown near his head. The price, which included a 20% buyer’s premium tacked onto the winning bid, was … [Read more...]