A Babe Ruth photo showing the Bambino surrounded by admiring young fans in the 1920s sold for $26,349 in Lelands.com’s November auction. The sale of the photo was one of the highest prices ever recorded for vintage sports photography and was followed up by other notable photo prices in the auction. The auction house, which is recognized for its purchase of the San Francisco Examiner Archive of 700,000 to 800,000 images, also sold an original Josh Gibson photograph for $18,470, and even a sultry Clara Bow publicity still for $6,939.Â
A Christy Mathewson photo from 1905 sold for $9,159. (All prices shown include buyer’s premium; photos and full descriptions can be found at Lelands.com).
Yogi Berra’s home Yankees jersey from the 1958 season sold for $66,441, the highest price realized in the $2.75 million auction.
Another item that drew pre-auction attention was the Sharpie that Terrell Owens pulled out of his sock after catching a touchdown pass and used to sign the ball for his business manager in 2002. Now the world’s most valuable Sharpie, it sold for $3,654.
The last uniform worn by Roberto Clemente (a Puerto Rico uniform) sold for $25,616, and his 2000th hit signed baseball went for $12,947. A promissory note from the Yankees to Boston in the Ruth sale, one of three that exist, sold for $37,439.
Other highlights included:
An 1880s “Darktown Bttery†mechanical bank trading card, $10,700; Jack Johnson-Jim Jeffries fight film poster in German, $20,627; Dempsey-Carpenter colorized photo from 1921 $17,233; Jim Corbett champion of the world trophy, $20,852; Liston-Clay on-site fight poster from their first bout, $16,473; WHA New Jersey Knights Harry Howell jersey $12,947; Dale Earnhardt race-worn suit, $10,845; Johnny Longden 5000th race victory trophy from 1957,$7,932; 1919 World Series Game 1 starting pitchers photo, $8,396.
