Babe Ruth 100th Anniversary Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 7/12/2014
There is no greater honor in the game for a position player than to be awarded his league's Most Valuable Player Award. This high honor was accorded to the Dodgers' great catcher Roy Campanella not once, but three during his career. This resplendent Award was Campy's first, awarded after his incredible 1951 season in which he batted .325, smacked 33 home runs and drove in 108 runs. Already a star in the Negro Leagues before joining the Dodgers, Campanella quickly emerged as both an offensive powerhouse and peerless leader behind the plate. His adroit handling of pitchers brought 5 NL pennants and one memorable World Championship to Brooklyn before a 1957 car accident ended his career. This stunning MVP Award is the penultimate tribute to the tremendous impact Campy made on the National League in 1951.
Measuring 16” in diameter, the striking black lacquered wood has a Sterling silver octagonal plaque with “Kenesaw Mountain Landis Memorial Baseball Award” in raised letters around the perimeter of a baseball diamond. A 10K gold bust of Kenesaw M. Landis is mounted on two ribbons bearing “1921” and “1944”, his reign as baseball’s commissioner. Below Landis, raised letters proclaim “Most Valuable Player National League” with “ROY CAMPANELLA” engraved in a bronze nameplate. Campy’s team “BROOKLYN DODGERS” is inscribed below. A gold baseball mounted on two crossed bats reveals the year “1951”. On the Sterling silver baseball diamond’s home plate is the green & white enameled logo of the Baseball Writers of America, the organization charged with awarding the most coveted award in the game. The back of the award has the original Dieges & Clust metal tag below a gold-colored suspension ring. The condition of the award is outstanding; as it originates from Campanella's widow Roxie, it has been lovingly preserved. The black lacquer shows only slight storage wear and a few dings and shallows dents - in short, it is as close to perfect as you can get to a 63 year-old award. THIS IS THE ACTUAL AWARD PRESENTED TO ROY CAMPANELLA IN 1951, NOT A REPLICA!. Letter of Provenance signed by Roxie Campanella, Roy's wife.