Grey Flannel slams home another blockbuster

Grey Flannel Auctions, known for bringing to auction some of the best game-worn jerseys on the market, will conduct an absentee/Internet auction closing May 14 that features 161 sports-related premier lots.

The lot expected to bring the most attention is the same uniform that made the basketball world stand up in 1976.

In January of that year, Julius “Dr. J” Erving brought the house down in the first-ever halftime slam dunk contest during the 1976 ABA All-Star Game. In that competition, Dr. J. – then with the New York Nets and the ABA’s top scorer – and Denver Nuggets rookie David Thompson put on a performance of a lifetime. Together with three other top dunkers, Erving and Thompson pulled out all the stops to wow the stunned crowd with their competitive jams and slams. Without a lot of fanfare, Erving was declared the contest’s winner.

But the impact went far beyond that. As Grey Flannel Auctions’ president Richard E. Russek explained, the slam dunk contest “was the event that set the stage for the merger of the ABA and NBA
. . . The uniform worn by Dr. J. during that event will forever be associated with a major turning point in basketball history.”
The uniform will be offered in Grey Flannel’s auction with a $25,000 reserve.

The Erving jersey, along with the other top-tier sports memorabilia will be just a portion of Grey Flannel’s 1,000-lot sale that also launches the company’s new coin-operated Antiques & Amusements Department.

Kareem’s goggles and Ted’s jersey
Erving isn’t the only sports star of this show, however. Other basketball lots of distinction include a Michael Jordan game-used home rookie jersey with a team letter from the Chicago Bulls ($10,000 reserve), and a late-1960s game-used, autographed Cincinnati Royals jersey from the great Oscar “The Big O” Robertson ($10,000).

Hoops fans will also enjoy Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s sneakers, goggles and jersey ($2,500).

The auction also contains an extensive lineup of game-worn athletic apparel from the titans of other professional sports. A 1960 Boston Red Sox home flannel jersey worn by the legendary Ted Williams is offered with a $10,000 reserve, while a 1994 Alex Rodriguez game-worn Seattle Mariners jersey and a Joba Chamberlain game-worn New York Yankees rookie jersey from last year’s American League Division Series “Bug Game” (with Yankees team letter) each carry a $2,500 reserve.
Also entered in the sale with a $2,500 reserve is a Daisuke “Dice K” Matsuzaka Boston Red Sox rookie jersey.

Other important sports lots include a Wayne Gretzky New York Rangers game-used alternate jersey, and a game-used Derek Jeter home run bat autographed with a notation indicating it was used to hit a home run. Boxing collectors will love a pair of boxing trunks worn and autographed with a boxing ring cartoon by the legendary heavyweight Muhammad Ali. The trunks also were signed by the famed referee Angelo Dundee, who wrote “Worn by The Greatest – Ali, Angelo Dundee.”

In the football section, top lots include a Len Dawson game-used and autographed Kansas City Chiefs helmet from Super Bowl IV (offered with an exact photo match) and a Peyton Manning second-year Indianapolis Colts game-used helmet.

That’s entertainment
Additionally, the sale will feature select lots of entertainment and historical memorabilia, including the zebra-pattern leather jacket that controversial stand-up comic Andrew Dice Clay wore on the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards the night he was banned from the network for life.
For something a little more sedate, an 1863 Abraham Lincoln signed military commission is entered with a $5,000 reserve.
Absentee and Internet bidding is now open on all items in the sale.
View the fully illustrated electronic catalog online at www.greyflannelauctions or call (631) 288-7800 for a free printed catalog.
Grey Flannel asks that all potential bidders register in advance for the sale.