Mastro Auctions' June Auction Set to Sizzle

With an imposing lineup of single- and team-signed balls, pristine cards, unopened material and vintage photography, the upcoming Mastro Classic Collector autcion figures to draw a good deal of interest in the online sale that closes on June 22.

Headlined by a single-signed and inscribed Babe Ruth ball, the sale also boasts a circa-1925 Ruth ball, a circa-1928 Ruth and Lou Gehrig signed ball, a 1928 Philadelphia Athletics team-signed ball with with Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker, and a single lot of (10) Ted Williams balls, all graded by PSA/DNA.

Doug Allen, president of Mastro Auctions said the success of the company's Classic Collector auctions continues to grow as does the number and quality of consignments. "The market has responded positively to our Classic Collector auctions," said Allen. He added that the auctions were created to open up the collecting market to a wider, more diverse audience. "Consecutive, consistently increasing results and interest tells us that we have tapped into the needs of our market," said Allen. "It's a strategy we will continue to focus on and expand."

The auction will include more than 1,300 lots of sports and Americana items, with all of the lots opening with a minimum bid of $100. Bidding, conducted entirely over the Internet, will begin on June 5 and conclude on June 22.

Other autographed-ball highlights include a Hall of Famer and superstar single-signed collection of 37 different, team-signed balls from the 1931, 1933, 1951-53 and 1958 Yankees, a 1948 Pittsburgh Pirates ball with Bing Crosby and Honus Wagner, and a 1944 Chicago Cubs team-signed ball with 24 signatures, including Jimmie Foxx.

Other highlights

• 1970 Topps Baseball unopened wax box with 24 packs
• 1972 Topps Baseball unopened wax box with 24 packs
• 1968 Topps Baseball 3rd Series unopened Five-Cent wax pack GAI 10
• 1959 Fleer Ted Williams unopened Five-Cent wax pack GAI 10
• 1952 Bowman Baseball unopened Five-Cent wax pack

Bats and jerseys

• 1921-31 Ruth game-used Hillerich & Bradsy bat
• 1961-64 Mickey Mantle H&B game-used team index bat
• 1950-60 Duke Snider H&B game-used bat
• 1950-60 Ted Williams H&B game-used team index bat
• 1945 Jimmie Foxx game-used H&B bat 500 Home Run Club signed bats (2) with Aaron, Mantle, Williams and Sadaharu Oh
• 1997 Greg Maddux Atlanta Braves "Turn Back the Clock" game-worn and signed road jersey
• Albert Pujols 2001 St. Louis Cardinals game-worn home jersey
• 2002 Rafael Palmeiro Texas Rangers game-worn and signed home jersey from home run No. 468
• Derrek Lee game-used first baseman's mitt
• 1978 Roy White Yankees game-worn and signed home jersey
• 1998 Yankees team-signed replica jersey

Autographs and photos

• Ty Cobb handwritten letter with baseball content
• 1934 Ruth-signed commemorative postage stamp
• 1948 Rogers Hornsby "facsimile autographed souvenir stadium baseball" contract, signed five times
• Roger Maris signed 8-by-10 color photo
• 1956 Yankees signed World Series program
• circa 1940 Gehrig-signed 7-by-9 photo
• late 1920s Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig original photograph signed by Gehrig
• 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings photograph
• 1916 Brooklyn Robins news service photograph with Robinson and Marquard
• 1932 Brooklyn Dodgers outfield photo with Hack Wilson by Charles Conlon
• "Joyous Reunion" 1916 news service photo of John McGraw with Christy Mathewson
• 1933 All-Star Team George Burke photos (2)

Memorabilia

• Original image for the 1914 Cracker Jack card of Tris Speaker
• 1888 World Tour A.G. Spalding "Welcome Home" celebratory dinner program
• 1920s Official National League (Heydler) ball in original box with seal intact
• 1917 Chicago White Sox team postcard with Joe Jackson
• Joe Jackson photographic postcards (2)
• 1908 Boston Red Sox foldout postcard with Cy Young
• Circa-1910 Chicago Cubs scorecard highlighted by Frank Chance
• 1962 Yankees World Series Champions salesman's sample ring

Football

• 1959 Topps Jim Brown PSA 9
• 1959 Topps Bobby Layne PSA 10, only specimen
• 1963 Fleer Football unopened Five-Cent wax pack GAI 10
• 2005 Keyshawn Johnson Dallas Cowboys game-worn home uniform
• 2002 Brett Favre game-worn and signed Packers home jersey
• 1931 Chicago Bears team-signed photo with Grange and Nagurski
• John Riggins 1983 Redskins NFC Champions salesman's sample ring
• 1935 National Chicle Knute Rockne PSA 6
• 1971 Topps high-grade complete set

Basketball

• 1957-58 Topps complete set, all PSA graded
• 1961-62 Fleer Bill Russell PSA 8
• 1986-87 Fleer complete set
• 1986-87 Fleer Basketball unopened wax pack with Jordan rookie visible

Hockey, boxing and other sports

• 1945-67 Beehive photos hockey collection (94)
• 1963-64 Topps high-grade complete set
• 1954-55 Topps Gordie Howe PSA 8
• 1927 Dempsey vs. Tunney Heavyweight Championship program and ticket
• 1948 Leaf complete set
• 1933 Goudey Sport Kings collection (17) with Ty Cobb and Jim Thorpe
• Secretariat horseshoe signed on the back by owner Penny Tweedy (black marker) as well as Triple-Crown winning rider Ron Turcotte
• 1984 Summer Olympic torch from Los Angeles

Non-sport

• 1932 R114 U.S. Caramel "Presidents" PSA-graded complete set (30), minus McKinley, No. 2 on the PSA Set Registry
• 1938 R68 Gum Inc. "Horrors of War" original artwork for card No. 252
• 1938 R68 Gum Inc. "Horrors of War" uncut sheet of eight cards, including No. 240
• 1938 R68 Gum Inc. "Horrors of War" complete low-number set
• 1942 R164 Gum Inc. "War Gum" uncut sheet of 20 cards
• 1941 R137 Goudey "Sky Birds" completely graded set
• 1963 Topps "Astronauts" high-grade complete set
• 1962 Topps "Mars Attacks" complete set
• 1962 Topps "Civil War News" high-grade complete set
• 1963 Topps "Beverly Hillbillies" high-grade complete set
• 1966 Topps "Batman" Red Bat complete set on uncut sheet
• 1951 Bowman "Jets, Rockets, Spacemen" Extended Series original artworks (6)

Americana highlights

• 1864 Lincoln/Johnson jugate campaign poster
• 1864 Lincoln/Johnson campaign ferrotype
• Late 1770s George Washington signed free frank as commander of the Revolutionary forces
• 1865 Ulysses S. Grant signed document
• James Monroe signed War of 1812 order instruction
• 1777 John Hancock signed military commission
• Thomas Edison signed studio photograph
• Samuel L. Clemens handwritten signed letter on his personal stationery
• 1810 Napoleon signed appointment

Entertainment

• 1940s Cary Grant signed 11-by-14 original photo
• extensive celebrity and music signed photo collection
• (200)

To register for Mastro Auctions' June Classic Collector auction or to get more information, go to www.mastroauctions.com. Bidding begins on June 5 and ends June 22.