Winter Auction 2018 Ending February 17
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/18/2018
On July 6th, 1933, baseball’s greatest stars of that day gathered for the inaugural All-Star Game at Comiskey Park in Chicago. The event was the brain-child Arch Ward, the Sports Editor of the Chicago Tribune, who in conjunction with Chicago mayor Edward J. Kelley came up with the idea to boost morale as a result of the Great Depression of the late 1920s and early 1930s. The event was also part of the city’s centennial during the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair.
To get the fans involved, it was decided that ballots would determine the starting nine for each squad. Calling it “The Game of the Century”, 55 newspapers across the country printed “fan ballots”. The lineups were picked and included stars like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Lefty Gomez, Rick Ferrell, Charlie Gehringer, Jimmy Dykes, Joe Cronin, Ben Chapman and Al Simmons of the AL and Bill Terry, Frankie Frisch, Chick Hafey, Chuck Klein, Bill Hallahan, Jimmie Wilson, Pepper Martin, Dick Bartell and Wally Berger of the NL. The visiting National League were given special gray flannel uniforms with navy blue caps, while the host American Leaguers wore their respective team uniforms. 20 of the 36 players who were selected for this historic game – the Midsummer Classic, are enshrined in Cooperstown.
Offered is an incredible, well-preserved baseball signed by 22 members of the inaugural American League All-Stars from the 1933 All-Star Game. Some of baseball’s greatest players have signed their names on this Official National League John A. Heydler baseball. Highlighting this exquisite baseball is the Babe Ruth’s bold black ink signature on the north panel that also includes the signatures of General Crowder (signed Al Crowder), Hall of Famer Joe Cronin, Ben Chapman, Wes Ferrell (signed Wesley Ferrell) and Oral Hildebrand. The west panel with the “Spalding Stamp” is a who’s who of Hall of Famers with the bold signature of Lou Gehrig in black ink, along with the signatures of Bill Dickey, Lefty Grove Al Simmons and Tony Lazzeri. The sweet spot has Hall of Famers Clark Griffith, Philadelphia Athletics’ President Thomas Schibe and Charles Gehringer (signed Chas Gehringer).
The south panel has the signatures of Jimmie Dykes, Hall of Famer Lefty Gomez, Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx, Hall of Famer Rick Ferrell and Detroit Tigers executive Charles Navin (signed Chas. F. Navin). Also on the south panel is the red-stamped John A. Heydler commissioner. The east panel with the Spalding trademark stamp has the signatures of Hall of Famer Earl Averill, Sam West and Eddie Rommel. The ball has a coating of shellack that has preserved the signatures and stampings. The ball displays toning and the red and blue laces are in excellent condition. This tremendous multi-signed multi-Hall of Famer baseball comes with a LOA from PSA/DNA (H56275).