Once a year, the Louisville Slugger Museum gets a temporary makeover as display cases filled with historic baseball memorabilia take over the central part of the downtown facility. The items inside aren’t meant to simply be shown off, though. They’ll be up for grabs starting Saturday morning as the 14th Annual Louisville Slugger Auction gets underway.
The auction is a rarity these days–a preview with nearly all of the items in the sale on display for two days–followed by a live auction inside the museum.
This year’s catalog includes over 400 lots including items consigned directly by the families of former major league pitchers Ralph Branca and Billy Pierce. The top individual items include a Jackie Robinson game bat and a glove–complete with a signed letter from the baseball pioneer. The latter is expected to sell for a price well into six figures.
We stopped by Thursday to get a brief tour from company president David Hunt.
Baseball Hall of Famer Frank Thomas will be honored Friday night with Louisville Slugger’s 2017 Living Legend Award. Thomas is the only player in MLB history to bat .300 or better with at least 20 home runs, 100 RBIs, 100
walks and 100 runs scored in seven consecutive seasons.
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Handwritten 1946 Jackie Robinson Questionnaire Heading to Auction
