Willie Mays Collection coming to auction to help kids, enhance legacy of Say Hey Kid
When Willie Mays passed away at age 93 last year, he left behind a legacy as one of the greatest baseball players of all time.
But the legacy Mays wanted to be remembered for most was as a caring professional athlete who always tried to help others, especially the kids who looked up to him.
“For all of his extraordinary achievements as a baseball player, Willie Mays wanted his enduring legacy to be helping children,” said Jeff Bleich, Mays’ friend and the chair of the Say Hey! Foundation. “Willie believed that every child deserves the chance to make the most of their talents. He was always looking out for kids, often taking time to play stickball with neighborhood children even when he was playing major league ball for the Giants.”
Willie Howard Mays, Jr. began his meteoric baseball rise as a multisport athlete at Fairfield Industrial High School in Westfield, Ala. As a teenager, he starred with the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League in 1948 and signed with the New York Giants in 1950. After playing briefly in the minor leagues, he join the Giants in 1951, winning Rookie of the Year honors. After serving for two years in the U.S. Army, Mays rejoined the Giants in 1954 and led the club to a World Series title while capturing NL MVP Award honors.
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Mays followed the Giants to San Francisco in 1958, where he became one of the game’s most popular and beloved players.
A two-time MVP and 24-time All-Star during his 23-year career, Mays finished his Hall of Fame career with 3,293 hits, 661 home runs, 1,909 RBI, 12 Gold Glove awards, and a World Series championship. A member of the MLB All-Century Team and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Mays believed he was “was born to play ball.”
“Willie said that he would not have become ‘Willie Mays’ without caring adults in his life who helped him get the education, skills, healthy diet, and inspiration that he needed,” Bleich said. “Growing up poor and assigned to a segregated school that did not even have a baseball team, Willie knew he wouldn't have achieved all that he did without his father Willie (“Cat”) Mays, Sr., his Aunties, his teacher, Mrs. Rice, players from the industrial leagues, and other people who looked out for him. Willie never forgot them.”
Now Mays’ family is continuing his legacy by offering his personal memorabilia collection for auction at Hunt Auctions, with all proceeds going toward youth education, training and health services through the Say Hey! Foundation, which Mays founded in 2000. The live auction will take place on Sept. 27 at the King Street Warehouse next to Oracle Park in San Francisco. The Mays Collection will be on display at the Hunt Auctions booth at the National Sports Collectors Convention July 30-Aug. 3.
“He preserved his most treasured awards so that one day he could pay it forward,” Bleich said. “He wanted to share these items with his fans so that together they could raise as much as possible to support other kids starting out in life the way he had. His one instruction to Dave Hunt at Hunt Auctions was ‘make this the best auction ever to help those kids.’”
“We are deeply humbled and grateful to Willie Mays for having been selected to represent this important offering of his personal collection,” said Hunt Auctions President David Hunt. “Willie embodies the American success story from his humble beginnings in Fairfield, Alabama through his ascension to become the greatest all-around player in the history of the game of baseball. Perhaps more impressively, Willie lived a life of service matched by very few. Whether sharing his knowledge of the game with young players or helping underserved communities to better their lives he was fervently committed to help those whose shoes he once occupied so many years ago.
“Willie has ensured his generosity will continue long into the future with the wonderful work that his Say Hey! Foundation has accomplished with the proceeds of this auction going to help further that good work. This auction will undoubtedly stand the test of time as one of the most important player collections ever to be publicly offered and may well become yet another ‘greatest all-around’ event befitting of the iconic legacy of the Say Hey Kid.”
Highlights of the Willie Mays Collection include:
• 1954 New York Giants World Series ring (Estimated value: $500,000-$1M).
• 1962 San Francisco Giants home uniform photo-matched to MLB All-Star Game ($500,000-$1M).
• 1954 NL MVP Award ($250,000-$500,000).
• 1965 NL MVP Award ($250,000-$500,000).
• Willie Mays Presidential Medal of Freedom ($50,000-$100,000).
• 1954 NL Batting Championship Silver Bat Award ($200,000-$400,000).
• 1963 All-Star Game professional model bat ($50,000-$75,000).
• 1963 MLB All-Star Game MVP Award ($20,000-$40,000).
• Willie Mays professional model glove circa 1955 ($75,000-$150,000).
• Multiple Willie Mays NL Gold Glove Awards 1957-68 ($50,000-$100,000 each).
• 1973 New York Mets NL championship ring ($50,000-$100,000).
• Baseball Hall of Fame induction ring ($100,000-$300,000).
• Rare 1962 Willie Mays Babe Ruth Sultan of Swat Award Crown ($75,000-$150,000).
• San Francisco Giants professional model warm-up jacket circa 1962 ($40,000-$60,000).
• 1977 Stutz Blackhawk VI custom made with personalized label ($50,000-$100,000).
An online-only auction for hundreds of additional Willie Mays Collection items will follow on Sept. 28. Several special event previews will take place in the San Francisco Bay Area in advance of the live auction.