Superstars jerseys, championship rings, Yogi's '56 World Series uniform in Grey Flannel Apr. 14 sale Grey Flannel's April 14 auction is a treasure trove of desirable game-worn apparel, jewelry, trophies, and game-used equipment autographed by superstars of baseball, football, basketball and hockey.
News-Antique.com - Mar 25,2010 - WESTHAMPTON, N.Y. - Grey Flannel Auctions' Summer Games Auction, with bidding on now through April 14, is packed with desirable game-worn apparel, jewelry, trophies, and game-used equipment autographed by superstars of baseball, football, basketball and hockey. The centerpiece of the nearly 1,100 lots to be sold is the New York Yankees pinstriped uniform Yogi Berra wore as catcher during the World Series “perfect game” pitched by Don Larsen on Oct. 8, 1956.
“This is the same uniform Yogi was wearing when that famous photograph was taken of him running out toward the pitcher's mound to hug Don Larsen after the final pitch,” said Grey Flannel's president, Richard Russek. “The photo is so iconic, we put it on the front of the catalog for this sale.”
The Berra uniform was out of the public eye for 50 years before being consigned to auction. It had been issued to a young Yankee prospect, Ron Stevenot, on the day in 1959 that he reported to Yankee Stadium to try out for the rookie team. Each new prospect was given a uniform that had been worn by a Major League Yankee in a prior season. Stevenot, a star catcher fresh out of high school, ended up the lucky recipient of a Berra home uniform from 1956, the year the Yankees won the World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers. It had the year “1956” sewn onto the jersey's shirttail along with Yogi Berra's name, and on the jersey's back was the number “8.” Although Stevenot did not end up pursuing a career in baseball, he treasured the Berra uniform throughout his life. When he consigned the uniform to Grey Flannel, he was in for a surprise.
“When I first examined it, I had a hunch it might be the one Yogi wore during the '56 World Series,” said Russek. “We took it to our headquarters in New York and compared it first to blow-ups of the famous photo, then to DVD 'stills' of the perfect game. Every Yankee pinstripe is like a fingerprint to when the jersey was worn. We compared the way the pinstripes matched up to the 'N' and 'Y' on the front, how they matched up to the collar and sleeves, and it was an exact match. It was the uniform Berra wore as catcher during the perfect game.” The minimum bid for the uniform is $50,000.
Many coveted jerseys are entered in the current auction. A 1972 Pittsburgh Pirates home jersey that was game-worn by the great Roberto Clemente during the last season before his tragic death is accompanied by a team letter of authenticity. The jersey, with the now-retired number “21” and “Pirates” emblazoned on the front, requires a minimum auction bid of $5,000.
The appeal of a Derek Jeter 2008 New York Yankees game-used road jersey is enhanced by the “Yankee Stadium Final Season” patch on its left sleeve and “2008 All-Star Game patch” on its right sleeve. Accompanied by a Yankees-Steiner letter of authenticity, and with Steiner and
