Memorabilia

1948 Babe Ruth Exacta Watch

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I’d been looking for a new daily driver watch when I ran across this 1948 Babe Ruth Exacta watch in an old auction catalog from July 1998. This was my first time seeing it, though they appear moderately common. They aren’t cheap, but I feel compelled to find a nice copy anyway!

The watch face shows a full-color pinstriped portrait of Ruth, bats slung over his shoulder against an emerald green baseball diamond. 

In July 2014, Goldin sold the following 1948 Babe Ruth Exacta Watch with an original case, box, and registration card for $829.50.

You can see that the lot also included a period magazine advertisement for the watch, just $7.95.

1964 Yoo-Hoo Yankees Easel Back Counter Sign With Yogi Berra And Mickey Mantle

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Mastro Fine Sports Auctions offered this Ex-Mt Yoo-Hoo easel back counter sign for sale in their November 2000 catalog.

They described the 11” x 14” piece as being from 1964, featuring eight New York Yankees. Moose Skowron split 1964 between the Senators (the hat he is pictured in) and the White Sox after spending 1963 with the Dodgers but was with the Yankees from 1954-1962.

From an advertising perspective, Yoo-Hoo had a long-standing relationship with Yogi Berra, their spokesman, for around two decades, starting in the late 1950s when Berra became friends with the company’s owner. Berra helped recruit investors and brought in his teammates to help promote the drink.

A few copies exist across the hobby, and when they pop up for sale, they have been selling for ~$1k, but higher prices are possible. However, replicas are available on eBay for under $20.

Circa 1940’s Tommy Henrich Wheaties Advertisement

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Tommy Henrich spent his entire MLB career with the Yankees, and this circa 1940s Wheaties ad shows him in his Yankee uniform along with a cartoon and cereal box. It was offered in a September 2000 auction.

It was described as being in Ex condition, framed and matted, and 21’’ x  11’’ in size.

If you have more information about this “Breakfast of Champions” piece, please leave a comment.

Bill Russell’s 1957-58 Topps Basketball Canceled Paycheck

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Back in 2011, at the National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago, IL, Topps held an auction exclusively for VIP ticket holders on Wednesday, August 3, at 2:30 PM. It featured “10 magnificent TOPPS items direct from the Vault!” 

One of the items was this 1957-58 Topps basketball card Bill Russell canceled paycheck.

Here’s how they described it: “Direct from Topps legendary vault, comes Hall of Famer Bill Russell’s very first Topps basketball card cancelled paycheck. Mr. Russell was the key card in the celebrated 1957-1958 Topps basketball card set. The 1957-58 Topps basketball card set was the first basketball card set issued by Topps and is the most important of the three major basketball sets issued prior to 1969 (the other two are Bowman’s 1948 set and Fleer’s 1961 set). The reverse is endorsed by Mr. Russell, in bold black ink. Overall condition is very-good-plus. PSA/DNA Certified Authentic. A Topps Vault certificate of authenticity accompanies this one-of-a-kind piece of Topps hoops history.”

1953 New York Yankees Team Photograph Inscribed By Mickey Mantle

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Here’s a super cool item from Guernsey’s Mickey Mantle Auction in December 2003: A 1953 New York Yankees team photograph inscribed by Mickey Mantle.

It’s got player autographs in the border beneath the image and two signatures of Mickey Mantle. One over his image, and the other following an inscription he wrote: “One of the all time Great teams in Yankee history. Five straight world championships-Mickey Mantle”

Here’s the cover of the auction catalog.

Joe DiMaggio Autographed Limited Edition John Martin Collectors Print

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If you attended the Kansas City Sports Collectors Convention in August 1981, you had the chance to pick up a Joe DiMaggio autographed collectors print done by John Martin. Here’s an ad for it from Trader Speaks.

You can read that Martin limited the number of 18′ x 24” prints to 325 and signed them, along with DiMaggio. Autographed prints were $75, while unsigned copies were $60 at the convention.

I tracked down this copy, numbered 35/325, on the website Everything But The House, where it sold for just $91 in September 2017 (most prints by Martin sell for a couple hundred dollars these days).

Babe Ruth Signed 1939 Baseball Centennial First Day Cover

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Mastro offered this Babe Ruth signed 1939 Baseball Centennial First Day Cover one in their December 2004 catalog, noting the smudging on the “ruth” part of the signature. The auto had an LOA from James Spence & Steve Grad.

The first-day cover is stamped from Cooperstown on June 12, 1939, bearing a 3-cent “Centennial of Baseball” stamp in the upper right corner. The Ex/Mt cover is addressed to a resident of Chicago.

Heritage sold this signed version for $16,800 in October 2018.

REA sold this signed example for $8,700 in their Summer 2023 auction.

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