Geppi's to host auction of Phil Rizzuto Collection
The personal memorabilia of Hall of Famer Phil Rizzuto, one of the most popoular New York Yankees players and broadcasters of all time, has been consigned to Geppi's Memorabilia Road Show and will be auctioned this summer.
Rizzuto, the oldest living Hall of Famer at 88, played on Yankees teams that won an unprecedented five consecutive world championships (1949-53), and has spent more than 40 years serving as a television and radio announcer.
The auction will likely feature more than 1,000 lots and include a wide variety of items from Rizzuto's career, including his rookie home uniform, his 1950 uniform and cap (with a now 56-year-old piece of gum stuck on the top), World Series rings, an original Leroy Neiman painting of Rizzuto, a Yogi Berra glove from the '40s, handwritten letters from Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon, a 1940s game-used glove, the plaque given to the 11 players who were part of the five world championship teams, as well as the platinum record for the Meat Loaf hit "Paradise By The Dashboard Light" which featured Rizzuto's voice. There will also be hundreds of items such as photos, scrapbooks, pins, balls, books, programs and ticket stubs.
Announces Name Change to Mastro Auctions
Although this is not earth-shattering news we wanted you to hear it from us first. Effective immediately we will be branding ourselves as Mastro Auctions. We realized that as we move forward into the new markets the name "MastroNet" was a bit dated and limiting. At the same time Bill Mastro, the man who started it all will always be the cornerstone of our business as it relates to quality and integrity in conducting high-value collectible auctions. Thus we decided to keep it simple...Mastro Auctions. See the press release attached below for more details. We again thank you for your support and look forward to servicing you to the same high standards in the upcoming year.
Also, our newest Classic Collector Auction is now previewing on our web site - bidding starts Monday.
Doug Allen
President
Mastro Auctions, Inc.
10 S 660 Kingery Hwy.
Willowbrook, IL 60527
Phone: 630-472-1200
Fax: 630-472-1201
e-mail: dallen@mastroauctions.com
New Name Better Defines Company's Position As Premier Auction House
MastroNet, Inc., the nation's leading Sports and Americana auction source announced today that the company has been renamed to Mastro Auctions. The name change, effective immediately, reflects the company's expansion (strategy) into new collecting markets and its ability to provide a full range of contemporary auction services, including live and real-time online events.
Mastro Auctions offers customers a staff of experts with the industry's most knowledge and experience and provides peace of mind by working with top authenticators. This provides a sophisticated, secure and user-friendly environment for customers to buy and sell collectibles. Originally a sports memorabilia auction house, Mastro Auctions successfully entered the Americana market in 2001 and is currently expanding into Fine Art, Comics and other collectible markets.
"The company is an industry innovator in terms of the internet and there was a time when the 'net' portion of the name had value and provided meaning to our customers," explains Doug Allen, president of Mastro Auctions. "But today strong, real-time online capabilities are a given for most successful businesses. The new name focuses instead on what we do better than anyone in the industry, the business of high-end auctions."
Mastro Auctions currently conducts three Premier auctions and three Classic Collector auctions annually. In December 2005, the company recorded an industry record-setting sale of nearly $14 million. Mastro Auctions' first Fine Art event is scheduled for April 2006. For additional information, contact www.mastroauctions.com or call 630-472-1200.
AmericanMemorabilia.com New Web Site News
We are in the process of redesigning our web site and will be in final testing during the next 2 weeks. We know you will like the new look and features. We plan to perform the site update between Feb. 11th to 13th so the site may be down or not functioning during that time.
We apologize for any inconvenience during this site upgrade.
Do you have items you would like to place in our auctions?
Do you know someone that may be interested in our Consignment Services?
You can now earn money through our new Referral Program. If your referral sells an item in our auctions we will pay you a percentage of the bidder's winning bid amount.
For details please call Kieta at 1-800-430-0667.
How can we improve our web site?
We value your opinion and have implemented many user request for web site enhancements in the past and will continue to do so. If you have any request for site enhancements please send them to our Webmaster for consideration for future site updates.
Sales: 1-800-322-4033
Auctions: 1-800-430-0667
Email: Auctions@AmericanMemorabilia.com
Web: www.AmericanMemorabilia.com
Only One Week Left To Consign To The MastroNet April Auction
Our December 7th - 9th Sports and Americana Premier Catalog Auction realized over $13,500,000 in total sales, which was well over $1,000,000 more than any previous MastroNet auction in our history! These wonderful results could not have been attained without the ongoing support of both our consignors and buyers, who are the backbone of our continuing success in a very competitive field of play. We are still seeking quality, high end significant single items or groups for the April Premier Catalog Auction.
We have already taken in millions of dollars in consignments for that sale, which should prove to be yet another MastroNet blockbuster event.
The Americana results in the December auction, almost $3,000,000 of the total sales, were by far our most successful endeavor in that area, with the esteemed Charles Schalebaum collection leading the way. The remainder of the Schalebaum collection is mainly concentrated in the Fine Arts field... with original oil paintings, sculpture, rare prints, decorative art glass and period furniture that will be auctioned in a separate Fine Arts catalog that will be part of our April sale.In addition to the Schalebaum collection, we will be offering a fine selection of Lalique automobile hood ornaments and vases; a marvelous Tiffany Studios 12-Light Lily table lamp and other exquisite Tiffany items; a group of important oil paintings from renowned American and European artists; 19th - 20th century bronze sculptures and some highly prized art nouveau posters and decorative art glass pieces as well. While we are actively seeking our usual array of Sports and Americana items for the April sale, we are particularly interested in accepting high quality collectibles for this inaugural Fine Arts catalog.
We are taking this new MastroNet division quite seriously, having recently employed highly qualified experts in the Fine Arts field, whose broad knowledge and years of experience will continue to keep our Premier Auctions in a virtual class of their own.
If you think you might have an interest in discussing potential Fine Art consignments with us, or any other Sports or Americana consignments for April, please contact Ron Oser in our Philadelphia office by phone at: (215) 947-6575 or (215) 880-5416, and by email at: roser@mastronet.com. You can also contact Brian Marren in our Chicago headquarters at: (630) 472-1200, or email him at: bmarren@mastronet.com. Our West Coast representative, Kevin Struss can be reached at: (949) 494-0248, or by email at: kstruss@mastronet.com. The deadline for April consignments is next Friday (February 10th), so the sooner you contact us, the better.
Thank you,... Ron Oser
Rizzuto auction scheduled for this summer
The Phil Rizzuto Collection, the personal memorabilia of the immortal New York Yankees great, has been consigned to Geppi's Memorabilia Road Show and will be auctioned this Summer.
Rizzuto, one of the most popular players to ever wear the Yankee uniform and the oldest living Hall of Famer at 88, is beloved by multiple generations of baseball fans, first for his sparkling play at shortstop where he ultimately helped lead the Yankees to an unprecedented five consecutive world championships (1949-53), and then as one of the most popular broadcasters in baseball history, winning over millions of fans during a 40 year television and radio career spanning Casey Stengel to Joe Torre.
Geppi's Memorabilia Road Show (pronounced JEP-ee), specializes in direct consignment from players, adding an enormous level of value and authenticity to the items. It will certainly be one of the most watched auctions for a single athlete ever held, given the prominence of Phil as a Hall of Fame player and as a New York Yankee star on the field and in the booth.
Including never-before-seen photographs and scrapbooks, the collection will likely surpass 1,000 lots. It is just now beginning to be inspected and catalogued.
Included will be Phil's rookie home uniform, his 1950 uniform and cap (with a now 56-year old piece of gum stuck on the top!), World Series rings, an original Leroy Neiman painting of Phil, a Yogi Berra mitt from the '40s, handwritten letters from Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon, a 1940s game used glove, a 1956 Mickey Mantle Christmas card to Phil (yes, with a ribald expression written in), the plaque given to the 11 players who were part of the five world championship teams, the commemorative plaque presented to teammates by Don Larsen after his perfect game, and Phil's #10 old timers day uniform with the #7 Mickey Mantle tribute on the sleeve.
Also, the platinum record for the Meatloaf hit "Paradise By The Dashboard Light", which featured Phil's voice, a sawed-off half bat signed on the flat surface by the 1949 Yankees and Red Sox, and another signed by the 1950 American League All-Star team, and a treasure trove of photos, scrapbooks, pins, balls, books, programs, and ticket stubs. Many more treasures will certainly be discovered as the cataloging process unfolds.
Phil and Cora Rizzuto, his bride of 62 years (who is almost as well known to Yankee fans as he is through his broadcasts), were on hand at Mickey Mantle's Restaurant today for a press conference to announce the auction.
"We're planning on moving to smaller quarters, our family is scattered, so it's time to consolidate," said Cora Rizzuto. "This is a chance to share these memories with fans who have been so great to me for so long," added Phil. "The fact that Geppi's Memorabilia Road Show has included people like Bobby Murcer, Diana Munson and my dear pal Barry Halper who we just recently lost, makes it feel like I'm doing this with family."
The auction will be conducted via Internet, phone and fax.
Geppi's Memorabilia Road Show is headquartered at 1966 Greenspring Drive, Timonium, Maryland 21093. The telephone number is 877-ROAD-SHW. (877-762-3749) or +011 (410)427-9456 outside the US. The website is http://www.gmrs.com.
Contact: Marty Appel Public Relations (212) 245-1772
Consign With Vintage Authentics
You have two more weeks to consign for the Vintage Authentics internet only auction. The consignment deadline is Feb. 15 and the auction will end on March 31. For more information, call 866-304-3090 or email staff@vintageauthentics.com or visit our web site at http://vintageauthentics.at.truition.com.
