Sal Durante is a famous footnote in baseball history. He was the 19-year-old New York Yankees fan who stuck his right hand up and caught Roger Maris’ 61st home run on Oct. 1, 1961. Durante and his fiancée, Rosemarie, were sitting in the right-field stands along with his cousin John and his girlfriend when Maris cracked a 2-0 pitch from Tracy Stallard into Section 33 of … [Read more...]
Vintage Rarities Headline Latest LOTG Auction
Rare 19th and early 20th century display pieces and photos, complete sets from the pre-War era and other memorabilia from virtually every era of baseball are up for grabs this month in Love of The Game Auctions’ Spring catalog. Already underway and set to run through Saturday, March 24, highlights include a significant number of “pre-rookie” items from past greats, vintage … [Read more...]
FBI Now Handling Maris Memorabilia Theft
The annual Roger Maris golf tournament takes place Monday in the late slugger’s hometown of Fargo, ND. It’s a fundraiser for various local charities and as usual, a Sunday night sports memorabilia auction was part of the event. It’s the first time the tournament has been held since the July 2016 theft of Maris’ 1961 MVP award and jewel-laden 1960 Hickok Belt from … [Read more...]
Photo of the Day: Top Slugger Meets Top Shooter
An iconic, artistic black-and-white photograph of Roger Maris taken during the 1962 World Series is one of 1,773 photographs that are being offered for sale during RMY Auctions’ Mega Collectors Auction. The bidding began on March 31 and will end at 8 p.m. ET on April 15. The photographs run the gamut of subjects, covering sports, politics, entertainment, military, social … [Read more...]
Maris Museum Burglary Remains Unsolved
Stolen from a display case last summer, the whereabouts of two significant awards from Roger Maris’ career remain a mystery. Maris’ 1960 American League MVP award and 1961 Hickok belt were taken in a smash-and-grab burglary at the Roger Maris Museum in his hometown of Fargo, ND in July. The theft was captured on surveillance video but the crime remains … [Read more...]
“61 in 61”: Remarkable Roger Maris Collection Set for Auction
The only “master set” of baseball cards from Roger Maris’ career is being broken up and sold as part of Memory Lane’s Winter Rarities Auction, slated to open Friday, December 23. The “61 in 61” collection, painstakingly pieced together by a private individual over a period of many years, includes a complete run of Maris’ regular issue cards, all in high grade and also … [Read more...]
High-Grade Heroes Highlight Huge Memory Lane Winter Auction
Collectors might want to grab another log for the fire when they head for an easy chair to digest the 2016-17 Memory Lane Winter Rarities Auction. The catalog for the annual event, running December 23 through January 14, is a company record 256 pages long with over 1,300 lots of vintage and rare sports cards and memorabilia. The auction kicks off with one of the … [Read more...]
Newly Graded Aaron RC, Complete 1984-85 Star Set in New Mile High Auction
Mile High Card Company is closing out the 2016 year with what it calls “the strongest Extra Innings Auction to date: The auction includes a recently graded 1954 Topps #128 Henry Aaron PSA 8 and a 1984/85 Star Company complete set with #101 Michael Jordan in original team bags. The auction began on Tuesday, December 6 and concludes on Thursday, December 15. Also … [Read more...]
Photo of the Day: Maris-Mantle 1961 LIFE Publicity Shot
In the 1960s, you knew the country was talking about something sports-related when it showed up in the pages of LIFE Magazine. The weekly, photo-oriented chronicle of what was happening in the world was a favorite of millions during its heyday. One of the most popular sports covers ever created centered around the home run chase of 1961. The RMY Auctions Photo … [Read more...]
Photo of Maris Signing 1959 Armour Cards at Auction
When Roger Maris, Whitey Herzog and Harry Chiti of the Kansas City Athletics made appearances on behalf of Armour Meats during the 1959 season, they were handed tablets of black and white photo cards to sign for customers who stopped by to meetthem. Today, Maris signed 1959 Armour cards are worth hundreds of dollars or more. Now, the first image of Maris putting pen to … [Read more...]