Grey Flannel Auctions' upcoming 17 July sale boasts over a thousand lots of sports collectibles from baseball, football, basketball, golf and more. Here are some of the highlights of the auction.
Cy Young is one of baseball's most legendary players and many statisticians believe his pitching records will never be broken. Beginning at the age of 23, he spent the first eight years of his career with the Cleveland Spiders. Here is one of only two known 1891 Cy Young cabinet cards photographed by John Ryder and is possibly the first image ever produced of Young in a major league uniform.
Although today championship rings are now the typical prize for World Series, before 1922 pendants and watches were gifted to the victorious team. This 1916 Boston Red Sox Championship watch, belonging to Babe Ruth, is engraved on the back with '1916 WORLD’S CHAMPIONS' in a circular pattern around a baseball diamond. Inside the back case reads 'GRUEN 14K.G CINCINNATI 1013550' as well as some surfacing marks. This watch is accompanied by a notarised letter of provenance which reads “My great uncle was a practicing attorney and worked with many ball players in the early 1900s… Our family has a long history with baseball as we were partial minority stake owners of the Cincinnati Reds for many years. This watch was gifted to my great uncle by Babe Ruth in exchange for some legal fees that he was due. The pocket watch was handed down through our family and has been in our possession for the better part of 100 years. The backstory of the exchange was something that we were all told as kids and when my father passed he gifted the watch to me.”
Three-time NBA Champion and two-time MVP Stephen Curry wore this jersey on 27 December 2018 in a family affair of the Golden State Warriors against the Portland Trail Blazers and brother Seth Curry. Stephen Curry scored a game-high 29 points and added 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocked shots.
Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig were on opposite sides during their 1927-28 Barnstorming tour to put on some of the most star-studded exhibition matches in baseball history. In 1927, their agent, in order to capitalise on the excitement generated by the duo's season-long home-run duel, arranged to have the pair tour the country right after the World Series. The tour, heralded as 'Ruth vs. Gehrig - The Battle For The Home Run Title Continues', began in New York and made its way across the country, ending in California. This ball is signed by both Ruth and Lou Gehrig, who in a rare variation signs as 'Louis Gehrig'.
In 1956, Paul Hornung won the Heisman trophy passing for 917 and three touchdowns at the University of Notre Dame. Hornung is one of three players to have won the Heisman Trophy, been selected as first overall National Football League draft picks, and been inducted into both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and College Football Hall of Fame. This jersey was game-worn by Hornung signed the front of the jersey in black marker. Originally sourced from a Notre Dame teammate, this jersey is properly tagged, was game-used and shows excellent use.
Willie McCovey reached an iconic milestone in his Hall of Fame career on 30 June 1978, when he hit his 500th home run to join the immortals of the 500-home run club. This trophy was presented to McCovey on the field after accomplishing the feat. The large award features a batter on the top and four smaller batters surrounding it beneath.
In 1998, St Louis Cardinals hitter Mark McGwire set a then major league single-season home run record of 70. Offered here is the bat McGwire used to hit his 49th home run of the historic season. This bat is photo-matched to home run #49 on August 19th in Chicago as well as August 20th in New York when the bat was cracked and taken out of play. This lot is accompanied by a video clip showing McGwire handing this bat to a young fan in the crowd and her priceless interview afterwards. This is the best fully documented McGwire bat from his historic 1998 season.
The most dominant player in golf’s history, Tiger Woods held the No. 1 World ranking for the most consecutive weeks and for the greatest total number of weeks. He has won the PGA Player of the Year a record 11 times and has more career major wins and career PGA Tour wins than any other active golfer. Woods wore this polo, which he later signed, during the second round of the 107th U.S. Open Championship at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania on 15 June 2007. Woods finished the tournament tied for second.
