- Title: USA: SOTHEBY'S AUCTION HOUSE PREVIEWS A COLLECTION OF BASEBALL MEMORABILIA
- Date: 19th September 1999
- Summary: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (SEPTEMBER 17, 1999) (REUTERS) VARIOUS, ENTRANCE TO BASEBALL EXHIBIT AT SOTHEBY'S BASEBALL UNIFORMS ON DISPLAY ALEXANDER CARTWRIGHT FAMILY BASEBALL - BELIEVED TO BE OLDEST BASEBALL EVER SOUNDBITE (English) DAVID GOODWILLIE SOTHEBY'S SPORTS COLLECTIBLES DEPARTMENT SAYING "The collection spans the history of baseball, from the very first ball ever played with in eighteen forty six all the way through the twentieth century to a uniform that was used just a few years ago. It really is the story of baseball, the jerseys, the bats, the baseballs, the autographs, they tell story of our national game." COLLECTION OF WORLD SERIES RINGS MOST EXPENSIVE ITEM IN COLLECTION HONUS WAGNER T206 UNCUT PROOF STRIP SOUNDBITE (English) GOODWILLE, SAYING "There are items from literally one hundred dollars all the way up to hundreds of thousands of dollars. So it's in everybody's price range. Whether you're into uniforms or advertising pieces or autographs, or almost any other thing you can think of that is linked with baseball, you're going to find something you like here." BABE RUTH MEMORABILIA
- Embargoed: 6th July 2005 19:22
- Keywords:
- Location: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Business,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA5GRR1DPCXHR4J085Z3BDGPNTV
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3
- Story Text: Sotheby's Auction House in New York City has previewed
a collection of over 80,000 items of baseball memorabilia that
will be auctioned off next week.
The private collection previewed on Friday (September
17) was assembled over fifty years by collector Barry Halper
and includes almost 1000 uniforms, 1,800 baseballs, 400 bats,
4,000 photographs, and some 30,000 baseball cards, amoung
other articles of baseball history.
One of the most valued items in the collection is the
Alexander Cartwright Family Baseball.It is believed that it
is the very first baseball ever, used by the Knickerbockers in
their first game, played in Hoboken New Jersey in 1846.
Sotheby's expects it to sell for 25,000 to 50,000 US dollars.
The head of Sotheby's Sports Collectables Department, David
Goodwillie, said, "The collection spans the history of
baseball, from the very first ball ever played with, in 1846
all the way through the twentieth century to a uniform that
was used just a few years ago.It really is the story of
baseball--the jerseys, the bats, the baseballs, the
autographs--they tell the story of our national game."
While the oldest baseball is an important part of the
collection, it is not the most expensive item.The Del Webb
1947-1964 Yankees World Series and American League
Championship Ring Collection of Fifteen is expected to sell
for up to 200,000 US dollars, making it the most expensive
lot.And the T206 Honus Wagner Proof Strip is one of the
greatest prizes in the collection.There are approximately
fifty known authentic examples of the card, which was never
actually publically issued.The card was to be packaged with
cigarettes, but Honus Wagner refused to let it be included.
The proof that will be sold by Sotheby's was found in the
attic of Honus Wagner's old house, and it is expected to sell
for 50,000 to 100,000 US dollars.
There are also some less expensive items to be auctioned.
Goodwillie said, "There are items literally from 100 dollars
all the way up to hundreds of thousands of dollars.So it's
in everybody's price range.Whether you're into uniforms or
advertising pieces or autographs, or almost any other thing
you can think of that is linked with baseball, you're going to
find something you like here.
Seven days of live auctions at Sotheby's begins next week.
Internet auctions of the baseball memorabilia on Sotheby's and
Amazon's joint on-line auction site will be scheduled later
this year. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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