Game-worn jerseys headline Broadway Rick’s Strike

With a 300-lot auction of items he describes as new to the hobby, Rick Kohl of Broadway Rick’s Strike Zone Auction is enthused about a selection of pieces as diverse as game-worn Hall of Famer jerseys from the likes of Reggie Jackson and Joe Morgan, a broad range of college and pro football jerseys, boxing items and wool hockey jerseys from the 1940s and 1950s.

“The best thing about our auctions is that everything is fresh and never circulated from auction to auction,” Kohl said. “Nobody’s had this stuff before.”

The “stuff” he refers to includes things like Bobby Layne’s high school jersey (acquired from the HOFer’s son), James Braddock’s trunks, the Vince Lombardi Super Bowl trophy from the Oakland Raiders equipment manager and Roger Staubach’s jersey from his days at Navy (and a Cowboy’s jersey, too).

“Our football lineup is really deep,” said Kohl, about a grouping that includes jerseys from the likes of Dick Butkus, George Blanda (1960s Raiders, small lettering), Lem Barney, Larry Csonka, Joe Montana (2), Brett Favre, Alex Karras, Archie Manning, Dan Marino and Marshall Faulk (Super Bowl XXXVI).

“One of the greatest things we’ve got is as a 1944 Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons huge photo that came from the family of HOFer Buddy Jeannette,” said Kohl, noting the huge, nearly 6-by-4-foot dimensions of the photo that had hung in Zollner Stadium. The auction also features a Rick Barry Warriors embroidered jersey from 1966-67, a Michael Jordan Wizards jersey and a LeBron James game-used AAU jersey that came from his high school coach, plus Bobby Hull jerseys from the 1974-75 Winnepeg Jets and the 1979-80 Hartford Whalers.

Baseball pieces include single-signed baseballs from Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb, game-worn jerseys from Barry Bonds, Cal Ripken, Eddie Murray, Ichiro and Steve Carlton, plus game-used bats from Mike Schmidt, Pete Rose, Manny Ramirez, Ralph Kiner and Brooks Robinson.

Mantle is represented with a 1951 Kansas City Blues team-singed photo and a Semipro League ball signed with Layne; there also are team-signed balls from the 1937 Giants, 1940 Brooklyn Dodgers, 1943 Cardinals, 1952 Browns, 1956 Dodgers, 1959 Red Sox and 1979 Pirates.

For more information, call (800) 344-9103, or go to www.strikezoneauctions.com. The complete auction listings are featured in a 36-page, full-color advertising insert in this issue of SCD (Aug. 26).