Collecting 101

Bidders tug on Superman’s cape to the tune of $22,

Editor Input Needed
By Scott Kelnhofer
DEC 21, 2007

Items relating to sports heroes Mickey Mantle, Lou Gehrig, Jim Brown and Rick Barry were among the top sellers at Broadway Rick's Strike Zone January auction. But it was a superhero's cape that stole the show in this event.

The auction generated more than $970,000 in sales, the largest for the company, and company president Rick Kohl was ecstatic. "We want to be a mainstay in this auction world and I think we're going in the right direction," Kohl said. "It was only our second auction in seven months and we nearly doubled the sales from the first one."

A red cape worn by George Reeves in the 1950s "Superman" TV series sold for $22,226 (with buyer's premium) to capture the top honors in the auction. The rare cape had been on display for more than a decade at the Superman Museum in Metropolis, Ill. It was given to the museum by Whitney Ellsworth, the director of the TV series.

A dozen other items sold for five figures in the auction, paced by a rare game-used Brown jersey that sold for $26,893. The jersey, which dated back to the early 1960s, was one of seven or eight Brown game-used jerseys to ever surface in the hobby. The other top-selling football item was a 1984 game-used Jack Lambert Pittsburgh Steelers road jersey which sold for $14,262.

The baseball section of the auction had seven items break through the $10,000 mark. Mantle's signed 1959 contract with the Yankees garnered $18,521. Meanwhile, a Gehrig game-used bat from the late 1920s or early '30s (MEARS A7.5) checked in at $18,306. A stunning Pee Wee Reese game-used Dodgers jersey from the early 1950s (MEARS A8) went for $17,259.

Mantle's popularity was evident again as one of his late 1950s game-used Yankee hats went for $16,248. A 1966 game-used jersey from another member of the 500 Home-Run Club, Eddie Mathews, went for $14,569.
Another unique item of baseball history, a full-size version of the 1972 Oakland A's World Series trophy, commanded $12,329. Meanwhile, Rod Carew's 1969 game-used Twins jersey went for $12,206.

Another championship trophy that commanded big bucks was the 1973-74 New York Nets ABA Championship trophy that sold for $18,751. That item lead the way among basketball memorabilia. Game-used jerseys from two great Warriors stars each brought in more than $12,000. Barry's game-used jersey from his rookie season of 1965-66 sold for $12,965, while Nate Thurmond's 1971 Warriors jersey sold for $12,640.

Strike Zone's next auction will take place in May, with consignments being accepted through mid-March. For more information, and complete results, visit www.strikezoneauctions.com.