SOTHEBY’S & SCP AUCTIONS’ SALE OF IMPORTANT SPORTS MEMORABILIA BRINGS $4,732,560 CASEY STENGEL’S 1951 NEW YORK YANKEES WORLD SERIES RING FROM THE STENGEL ESTATE ACHIEVES $180,000, OVER THREE TIMES ITS HIGH ESTIMATE
News-Antique.com - Jun 07,2007 - New York, New York, June 5, 2007 – Today in a packed salesroom, Sotheby’s and SCP Auctions’ sale of Important Sports Memorabilia and Cards brought $4,732,560, exceeding its high estimate (est. $3.2/4.6 million*). The sale featured three unprecedented single-owner collections: the Estate of New York baseball legend Casey Stengel, which included the top lot of the sale, Stengel’s 1951 World Series Ring, won during his only season as manager for both Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle, which commanded $180,000 (lot 231, est. $30/50,000); the Collection of Mitsuhiko Fujita, which was comprised of memorabilia from the 1934 Tour of Japan, including a Babe Ruth Single Signed Baseball in Original Japanese Ball Box, which achieved for $57,000 (lot 11, est. $25/35,000); and the finest private collection of Hall of Fame basketball jerseys ever to come up for auction, which was highlighted by Willis Reed’s 1969-70 New York Knicks Home Jersey, which brought $90,000 (lot 300, est. $75/100,000).
Lee Dunbar, Director of the Collectibles Department, continued, “Today’s sale, our fifth live auction in partnership with SCP Auctions, demonstrated strength across a number of categories in the Sports Memorabilia market, as well as depth at a variety of price points. Our single-owner collections were particularly successful, and collectors were willing to pay premium prices for objects with historical and personal significance from many of the most important and memorable moments in sports history.”
David Kohler, President of SCP Auctions, continued: “We’re thrilled to have had another hugely successful sale of Sports Memorabilia, with new buyers entering the market from other collecting categories. It would have been noteworthy to have one of these single-owner collections in a sale, but to have three in a single sale is truly remarkable.”
The Estate of Casey Stengel
As the only person to have worn the uniform -- as player or manager -- of all four Major League baseball teams that played in New York City in the 20th century, Charles Dillon “Casey” Stengel was a true New York baseball legend. Among the marquee items offered by the Stengel Estate were Casey Stengel’s 1951 World Series Ring, won during his only season as manager for both Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle, which commanded $180,000, selling to a New York private collector (lot 231, est. $30/50,000). Another highlight of this offering was Stengel’s 1969 New York Mets World Series Ring, which brought $78,000, selling to a New York private collector (lot 263, est. $30/40,000), and his 1957 New York Yankees AL Championship Gold Cufflinks, which elicited applause when they sold for $72,000, also selling to an American private collector (lot 253, est. $4/6,000).
Private Collection of Important Basketball Jerseys
Another cornerstone of the sale was the finest private collection of basketball jerseys ever to come up for auction. Highlighting the more than 80 lots of jerseys was Willis Reed’s 1969-70 New York Knicks Home Jersey, which brought $90,000, selling to an anonymous buyer (lot 300, est. $75/100,000). The jersey was from his historic performance in the 1970 Championship Series leading
