Collecting 101
SCP Auctions to Offer Items from the Helms Athletic Foundation/LA84 Collection
The Helms Athletic Foundation (HAF) was a Los Angeles-based sports organization founded in 1936. Thousands of pieces of sports memorabilia adorned its walls during the '30s, '40s, '50s and '60s. The precursor to today’s professional sports halls of fame, HAF was devoted to recognizing the top athletes in multiple sports from across the country and boasted the most extensive collection of sports artifacts in the nation. The LA84 Foundation has managed the collection since the mid-1980s. Now hundreds of the items from the Helms assortment will be featured in SCP Auctions' 2014 Summer Premier online auction, which runs from Aug 6-23.
Covering both professional and amateur sports, the Helms collection is truly noteworthy based on its pieces from the first half of the 20th century. Better than 50 sports are represented by trophies, medals, awards, uniforms, equipment, pins, badges and posters. These are all primary-source acquisitions with each piece telling its own unique story.
Just a few of the pieces to be presented in the August auction include:
- John Moores Trophy (1938) – Sterling Silver trophy created for the World Amateur Baseball Championship
- Wilt Chamberlain's debut basketball (Sept. 30, 1959) signed by members of both teams (St. Louis Hawks vs. Philadelphia Warriors)
- 1903 Frank "Cap" Dillon Pacific Coast League batting champion presentation bat
- Billie Jean King match-worn, custom tennis outfit from the 1970s/
- Herb Pennock game-worn love from Game 3 of the 1927 World Series
- 1906 Chicago Cubs National League Champions Sterling Silver Trophy Cup
- Circa 1955 Heisman Trophy honoring winners from 1935-54.
For more information on these items, visit www.scpauctions.com.
