Lelands Lines up Killebrew, Pele and Other HOFers in Latest Auction

Among the featured items in Lelands.com current auction, which closes Dec. 16, is an extremely rare jersey worn by baseball Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew, a game-used ball from Derek Jeter’s 3,000th hit at-bat, a 1971 Pele Brazil game-worn jersey and championship rings from Jim Katcavage and Darvin Ham.

Now that we have your attention, here are some details. A complete lineup can be found at www.lelands.com.

The 100 percent original 1959 Washington Senators jersey is one of only three known to still exist, and the only one of the three to be photo-matched.

“This is a rare treasure – one of the greatest jerseys from one of the greatest home run hitters of all time,” said Mike Heffner, president of Lelands.com. “We absolutely classify it as the finest of the three Harmon Killebrew Washington Senators jerseys known to exist.”

On July 9, 2011, All-Star shortstop Derek Jeter became just the second player in major league history to homer for his 3,000th career hit. This ball in the auction is one of only four from that historic at-bat, specially marked “J1” by MLB.

Perhaps the greatest soccer player who ever lived, Pele graced the pitch with this terrific yellow jersey from the last year he played for the Brazilian national team in 1971.

A 2004 Darvin Ham Detroit Pistons championship ring and 1956 Jim Katcavage New Your Giants championship ring are just two of several rings offered in Lelands.com current auction.

Other notable sports highlights in the auction include:
– 1971 Frank Robinson 500th career home run bat. The very bat that Hall of Fame outfielder Frank Robinson used on Sept. 13, 1971, to hit his 500th home run.
– 1986 Barry Bonds Pittsburgh Pirates game-worn rookie jersey. The jersey was worn for his first major league home run when he wore No. 7 for a short time before switching to No. 24.
– 19th century Lyon Mountain Baseball Club uniform breastplate. Worn by a player on a small mining town team that originated in 1877 in Lyon Mountain, near the Canadian border.
– 1940s Mel Ott game-used bat.
– 1914 Detroit Tigers Panoramic Photograph featuring Ty Cobb twice. When this photo was taken, players had to stand still for several seconds, allowing time for some tomfoolery. Cobb was at one end of the picture when the photo was snapped and sprinted to the other end before the exposure was completed. Thus, he is in the photo twice.
– Three tickets to Christy Mathewson’s final major league game/win.
– Gil Hodges’ 1956 Tour of Japan robe. Includes an enclosed photo of Hodges wearing the robe and an LOA from Hodges’ wife, Joan.
– Late 1930s Charlie Gehringer game-used bat.
– Late 1930s Mickey Cochrane game-used bat.
– Lou Gehrig last game program: A lesser known fact is that Gehrig participated in an exhibition game pitting the New York Yankees against their top farm club, the Kansas City Blues more than a month after his career “ended” on May 2, 1939. This program is from that very last game, on June 11, 1939.
– 1930 Hack Wilson signed 54th home run baseball.
– Babe Ruth single-signed baseball.
– 1931 Lou Gehrig single-signed home run No. 224 baseball.
– 1933 Babe Ruth and Duke Kahanamoku signed photograph.
– Urban Shocker single-signed baseball.
– Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris signed baseball.
– 1998 Darryl Strawberry New York Yankees World Series Trophy.
– 1975 Thurman Munson endorsed New York Yankees payroll check: A 1975 Chemical Bank check with typical cancellation marks, signed “Thurman L. Munson” on the back, and in the amount is for $5,860.38.
– 1935 Babe Ruth’s last home run advertising broadside.
– 1939 Lou Gehrig Day signed photograph.
– Thirty sets of 1980-81 Topps Basketball uncut sheets (60 sheets).
– 1950-51 Toleteros Joshua Gibson PSA 7 NM
– Keith Hernandez 1986 New York Mets World Series trophy.
– 1974-75 Golden State Warriors uniform worn by Phil Smith.
– 2010 LeBron James signed, game-worn sneakers (UDA).
– 1969-72 ABA basketball with original box.
– Cassius Clay fight-worn amateur shoes.
– 1986 Mike Tyson fight-worn trunks (vs. Lorenzo Boyd).
– 1986 Mike Tyson fight-worn gloves (vs. Jose Ribalta).
– Jack Dempsey training gloves for Georges Carpentier fight.
– 1986 Mike Tyson fight-worn shoes, used in his fights against James Tillis, Reggie Gross, Mitch Green, William Hosea, Lorenzo Boyd, Jose Ribalta and Marvis Frazier.
– Muhammad Ali Everlast cup.
– Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier I on-site fight poster.
– 1968 Rocky Marciano signed letter.
– 1940s Larry Craig Green Bay Packers game-worn jersey.
– Mid-1980s Walter Payton game used jersey and cleats
– 1959 Ralph Backstrom Montreal Canadiens Stanley Cup championship ring.
– 1990 Mario Lemieux All-Star Game worn jersey, pants and socks (photo-matched).
– Mario Lemieux gloves used to score his 500th goal. Lemieux wore these very gloves in his 605th game on October 26, 1995 when he scored his 500th career goal.
– Howie Morenz signed studio photograph.
– 2003 New Jersey Devils Stanley Cup championship ring.
– Circa 1974 Gordie Howe game-used stick.
– Wayne Gretzky 1996-97 game-used stick.
– Jorge Velasquez saddle used for Alydar, Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Pleasant Colony wins.
– “Legends of Sport” platinum edition signed by Ali, Woods and Jordan (UDA).
– 1992 Jimmy Connors match worn/used, signed U.S. Open collection. Eight-time Grand Slam tennis champion Jimmy Connors made a magical run to the 1991 U.S. Open semifinals at the age of 39, and here is some of the gear that he sported along the way: Personalized yellow racket, Nike Air shoes, match-used shirt with Connors’ name on the front emblem and on one of the sleeves, blue XL CoCo Bana blue cotton pullover, green tennis ball and two wristbands.
– Tiger Woods signed tournament worn shirt (UDA).
– Jackie Joyner-Kersee worn USA track suit with sneakers.
– Sadaharu Oh Japanese movie poster.

Tommy Wittenberg Collection
Also included in the auction is the Tommy Wittenberg Collection, which includes 47 items/lots of game-worn caps, including these notable offerings:
– Collection of St. Louis Browns game-worn caps (8).
– 1938 Charles Gehringer Detroit Tigers game-worn cap.
– Dizzy Dean’s last St. Louis Cardinals game-worn cap.
– Circa 1923 Oscar Roettger New York Yankees game-worn cap.

Rabbit Warstler Collection
The Rabbit Warstler collection includes photos, clothing and a game-used glove. One particularly interesting item is a diary kept by his wife – a 1934 Tour of Japan team-signed diary.

The wife of 11-year veteran infielder Harold “Rabbit” Warstler kept a detailed diary from before, during and after an American baseball tour of Japan, giving insight into the personal lives of the likes of Babe Ruth, Moe Berg, Jimmie Foxx and Lou Gehrig. In the middle of the book are signatures of 39 notables from the tour.

And finally, the auction’s vast photography collection includes numerous photos ranging from Truman, Churchill and Stalin to Frankenstein and a photograph of John F. Kennedy as a war hero.

One particularly notable offering is photo of Babe Ruth at Speakeasy, a never-before-seen photograph showing Ruth surrounded by men and women in what looks like a basement speakeasy.

For more information on Lelands auction, call (631) 244-0077 or visit www.lelands.com.