World Series Memorabilia Collection of Stuffy McInnis Brings $46,800

Kaminski Auctions is pleased to announce the sale of a local baseball champions World Series memorabilia collection. The collection once owned by Major League Baseball player John "Stuffy" McInnis sold for $46,800, more than 10 times its pre-auction estimate. With lively bidding from the floor, phones and Internet, a West Coast collector won out with the final bid of $40,00, plus the 17 percent buyer’s premium.

McInnis' grandson, who consigned the collection, was in the audience and said, “ I am so happy with the results, it was so exciting and as the bids went up, it really blew my mind. Everyone in my hometown tells me what a kind and nice man my grandfather was. I try every day to live up to his amazing reputation.”

Stuffy had an impressive career that included four World Series titles with several teams, including the Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates from 1909-27. Overall, the first baseman held a .307 batting average, 2,405 hits and had 1,062 RBI in 2,128 games.

McInnis began his career as a shortstop for the Philadelphia Athletics. In the 1911 season he was moved to first base, and thus became a member of Connie Mack's famous "$100,000 Infield." Playing alongside Eddie Collins at second base, Frank Baker at third base and Jack Barry at shortstop, together the team won the World Series in 1911 and 1913.

Stuffy McInnis was traded to the Boston Red Sox and played with them from 1918-21. In 644 plate appearances with the Red Sox, he struck out only nine times. In addition to being on the team when they won the infamous 1918 World Series, he also set an important record in his final season with the team: By 1921, Stuffy played 119 consecutive games at first base without an error. It was not until June 25, 2007, that Red Sox player Kevin Youkilis would break that 86-year-old record.

After just three years in Boston, Stuffy was traded to the Cleveland Indians for the 1922 season. He was then traded to the Boston Braves from 1923-24, and later, he was sent to the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1925-26, where he won his fourth World Series title in 1925. Stuffy finished his career with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1927. McInnis continued to add to his impressive baseball resume by serving as the coach for the Harvard baseball team from 1949-54.

Included in the single lot were many significant memorabilia items: a 14K gold E. Howard pocket watch with a 10K watch fob and a gold-filled pen knife, all inscribed with World Series logo 1910-1911-1913 (McInnis was on the Philadelphia Athletics roster when they won their 1910 title); a sterling silver presentation trophy by Gloucester friends, October 1910, made by Newbury Crafters; a 10K gold ring inscribed with name, Baseball Centennial 1839-1939, diamond chip; four photographs from New York Giants vs. Chicago White Sox game in Liverpool, England; photos of King George V and Edward Prince of Wales, circa 1914; and a collection of vintage programs, photographs and newspaper clippings, as well as a passport for McInnis issued in 1914.

Said Mary Westcott, senior appraiser for Kaminski Auctions, “Imagine my excitement, when this gentleman came in with his grandfather Stuffy McInnis’s World Series memorabilia, on our free appraisal day. I explained the auction process and encouraged him to consign the collection to Kaminski Auctions. A multi-media advertising and marketing campaign created a great deal of local and national interest. Needless to say, he was delighted with the results. I enjoyed watching him during the auction process. His excitement was infectious."

Kaminski Auctions is based in Beverly, Mass. For more information, call (978) 927-2223 or visit www.kaminskiauctions.com.