Sports Memorabilia

Lot 324
1949 Brooklyn Dodgers Signed Baseball. A practice ball (labeled "Major League/Rubber Center" with specifics) signed by the players of the 1949 Brooklyn Dodgers. There is some yellowing, but the ball has apparently been in a display sphere (which is cracked and should be replaced) for quite some time.
Signatures: Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, PeeWee Reese, Bily Cox, Gene Hermanski, Carl Furillo, Bert Shotton, Bruce Edwards, Jack Banta, Ralph Branca, Gil Hodges, Eivie Pilich, Duke Snider, Babe Morgan, Roy Campanella, George Shuba, Preacher Roe, Jimmie Russell, Eddie Miksis, Rex Barney, and Don Newcombe.
There doesn't seem to be a lot to say, the ball speaks for itself: it is signed by Jackie Robinson, Don Newcombe, Roy Campanella and other members of one of the great teams in baseball history.
Estimated Value $500-600.

Lot 325
Ali, Muhammad. Check Signed ("Muhammad Ali"). Partially printed, accomplished in manuscript. Deer Lake, Pennsylvania, June 25, 1974. Drawn on the Muhammad Ali Training Camp account at American Bank and Trust of Reading. Made payable to Mike Williams in the amount of $200.00. Stamp cancelled recto and verso, "Camp Salary" notation at bottom left, minor toning, three vertical folds. Very good. Ali's signature is scare in this format.
Estimated Value $850-1,000.

Lot 326
Dempsey, Jack (1895-1983) World heavyweight boxing champion, regarded by many as the apotheosis of the professional fighter. He held the title from 1919-1926.

Signature ("Jack Dempsey"). One page, 5 x 4½", n.p., n.d. Blue ink on cream card stock. Inscribed "Best Wishes". Minor soil, corner abrasions to top left and bottom right. Very good to fine condition.
Estimated Value $100-125.

Lot 327
Hogan, Ben (1912-1997) U.S. professional golfer who dominated the game in much of the 1940s and 50s, in spite of a devastating injury.

Check Signed ("W. Ben Hogan"). Partially printed, accomplished in typescript. Fort Worth, November 6, 1991. Drawn on Hogan's Bank One account and made payable to Southwestern Bell Telephone Company in the amount of $19.56. Machine cancelled along top edge and verso, one vertical fold. A nice, clean signature. Fine.
Estimated Value $400-450.

Lot 328
La Motta, Jake (b. 1922). American boxer and middle-weight champion (1949-57). La Motta was born in the Bronx and began boxing at an early age, prompted by his father. Nicknamed the "Bronx Bull", Jake was known for his brute strength, endless endurance, and particularly tough chin. His life was the basis for the Martin Scorsese film Raging Bull.

1. Jake La Motta. Check Signed ("Jake La Motta"). Partially printed, accomplished in manuscript. 8¼ x 3¼", Miami Beach, March 30, 1957. Drawn on the Jake La Motta, Inc. account at the Bank of Miami Beach in the amount of $800. Signed on the recto. Punch cancelling, stamp endorsed verso. In very good condition. 2. Vikki La Motta. Check Signed ("Vikki La Motta"). Partially printed, accomplished in manuscript. 6 x 2¾", North Miami Beach, January 7, 1982. Drawn on Mrs. La Motta's account at the County National Bank in the amount of $100.08. Signed on the recto. Stamp cancelling verso, a small partial hole punch at left edge and a vertical fold just left of center . Overall the group is in very fine condition.

Shortly after retiring from professional boxing, the prize fighter signs a check as President of his own corporation, thereby transferring money to his Skybrite club. Accompanying La Motta's check is another payment, albeit written by the brawler's second wife, Vikki. The couple's tumultuous relationship was well documented in the film Raging Bull, and following its 1980 release Vikki appeared in Playboy Magazine. She wrote this check shortly thereafter.
Estimated Value $125-150.

Lot 329
Schmeling, Max (1905- ) German world heavyweight boxing champion from June, 1930, when he defeated Jack Sharkey, until June, 1932, when Sharkey beat him in 15 rounds. Schmeling was the first European to win the world heavyweight title in the 20th century.

Lot of two pieces. 1). Photographic Postcard Signed ("Max Schmeling"). Sepia toned, 3½ x 5½", n.p., n.d. (probably 1930 -- see next item). Signed in blue ink across breast of portrait. Corner abrasions at top left and bottom right, otherwise fine. 2). Typed Letter Signed ("Max Schmeling"). One page, quarto, Endicott, New York, May 28, 1930. On Schmeling letterhead. To Ida Corey. Two horizontal folds, adhesive residue on verso, minor surface soil. Very good condition.

Written while Schmeling was training in New York for his bout with Jack Sharkey, which took place just two weeks after this letter went out.
Estimated Value $150-200.

Lot 330
Sunday, William Ashley (Billy Sunday) (1863-1935) American athlete and evangelist.

Signature ("W.A. Sunday"). One page, 4 x 3¼", n.p., n.d. Black ink on red notepaper. Additional inscription "Psalm 34". The signature was made on the verso of a letter from the autograph seeker, so the edges have been trimmed, albeit neatly. Very good to fine condition.
Estimated Value $75-150.

Lot 331
1961 Green Bay Packers Signed Program Cover. The players from the 1961 Green Bay Packers World Champion Team have signed the program cover from their game over the Baltimore Colts. Signees include Bart Starr, Paul Hornung, Jim Taylor and Tom Bettis, thirty-six total. Lombardi does not sign. There is adhesive residue and tattered edges. Fair condition.
Estimated Value $150-200.

Lot 332
Baseball Stars Including Hall of Famers. Lot of 14 signatures from great names in baseball, each on a single sheet. Including: Cal Hubbard, Sandy Koufax, Pee Wee Reese, Carl Hubbell, Red Faber and Nolan Ryan. Twelve signatures appear on white cards, Rick Reuschel signed the back of his baseball card and Don Zimmer signed a black and white photograph of himself. Conditions range from very good to fine.
Estimated Value $250-350.

Lot 333
Group of Mid-Century Los Angeles Athletic Event Tickets. Lot of six tickets, the most notable of which is a wartime 1943 Rose Bowl ticket (with a great Victory "V" emblazoned on the front). The other tickets are for the Los Angeles Coliseum Relays, one ticket from 1949, two from 1951, one from 1950 and one from 1952. Conditions are generally good, the Rose Bowl ticket is worn with some surface soil. The graphics on all of the tickets are outstanding and reflect the era very well.
Estimated Value $50-UP.

Lot 334
Indy and Other Racers from the 1930s and 1940s. Forty-one photographs and one news article featuring the best-known racers of the 1930s and 1940s, all tipped into a large scrapbook. Many pieces feature autographs. Charlie Miller, Charles Breslin, Doc Shanebrook, Larry Bloomer and Ted Horn are just a few of the drivers pictured in their racecars. Many of the racers in this book were injured or killed while driving, and one look at the cars they drove shows why! No modern automobile safety precautions for them and nothing more than a helmet and pair of gloves as protection. A few of the pictures show some silvering and some adhesive residue, but most are in very good condition. A complete run-down on featured drivers is available.
Estimated Value $350-400.

Lot 335
Tennis Greats of Yore. Five signatures ("E. Vines, Jr." , "Fred Perry", "Hans Nusslein", "Cochet" and "Helen Wills") and one unsigned glamour postcard of Suzanne Lenglen. The signatures appear on various small pieces of paper but are all very clear and bold. The Cochet signature is on the verso of a letter with lines crossed out, so it is somewhat affected, but otherwise, conditions are fine.

Tennis came into its own as a professional sport in the 1920s and 1930s and the players represented here are largely responsible -- Fred Perry won three straight Wimbledon titles and Nusslein and Cochet dominated the sport in Europe for years.
Estimated Value $150-200.