Babe Ruth 100th Anniversary Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 7/19/2014
Fall, 1964. The last remnant of the mighty New York Yankees decades-long dynasty limped their way to the World Series. The 1964 Series would be their last appearance in the Fall Classic for more than a decade. Other teams with newer and younger stars were quickly eclipsing the once infallible Yankees, but through it all, the team still boasted the most beloved player in the AL - Mickey Mantle. The hero to millions, Mickey Mantle, was suffering the effects of 13 years of Major League abuse the game had inflicted on his body. The 1964 Series against the Cardinals would prove to be his last, and in true Mantle fashion, he made it count. In game three, the score was tied 1-1, St. Louis' run being a direct result of Mantle's own error. In the bottom of the 9th inning The Mick batted first, and as he collected his bat and helmet, told his teammates "I'm gonna hit one outta here". It wasn't a boast, it was The Mick making up for his error, a promise from the man Yankee fans had come to count on. Walking from the dugout to the plate he told on-deck batter Elston Howard to go back inside, he was going to hit a home run. Facing knuckleballer Barney Schultz, Mantle adjusted his batting helmet, stepped into the box and promptly smashed the first pitch into the right field stands. Game over. Not only did that home run put New York ahead in the Series 2 games to 1, it also broke Babe Ruth's career post-season home run record. It was a dramatic moment in all sense of the phrase and in all probability, this is the very helmet Mantle wore that afternoon.
Like Mickey Mantle's battered body that afternoon in 1964, this helmet shows tremendous game use. The Yankees used this particular style protective helmet during the 1963-1965 seasons and as such it clearly shows the toll a few seasons of big league ball can take on something. The fiberglass body shows a multitude of scratches, dings and scuffs. The brim has 5 spots where various size pieces are missing from the raised rim of the brim. There is a frightening crack just above where Mickey's left temple would have been, this very helmet saving him from a serious headache or worse. Facing a flamethrower like Bob Gibson in the Series that year, I'm sure Mickey was glad he had the protection this helmet offered him. The back of the crown has about 4 1/2" of the rim missing and a 1" x 2" repair has been made halfway up the back. The front of the crown displays the famed Yankee "NY" logo done in a curiously attractive crude stencil. Originally covered in navy wool to appear to look like a normal cap, these heavily used and abused helmets soon lost their soft veneer. Yankee clubhouse men diligently spray painted the helmets black and added their own stencilized take on the "NY" logo. It's a very unique look and it's manner of application only reinforces the protective job these helmets were introduced for. The inside of the helmet has the "American Baseball Cap, Media, PA" manufacturers size "7-1/2" tag. The tag has the company's zip code, indicating this helmet was produced after 1963, the year post office zip codes were introduced. The most interesting part of the helmet is the 2" x 1 1/2" piece of athletic tape affixed inside the back of the crown that reads "7 MANTLE". The leather sweatband is still attached, though loosely in the back near Mantle's ID tape and is somewhat brittle. The original crown padding has been lost and three pieces of clear tape is affixed in its place.
That this piece of World Series history has survived is miraculous - like old uniforms and equipment, these helmet were customarily sent to the Yankees farm teams to be recycled and used until they disintegrated. This helmet, along with the Roger Maris example also in this auction, were obtained from the former General Manager of the Birmingham Triplets.
A truly remarkable and visually appealing piece of World Series history that once protected the game's most beloved hero. Letter of Authenticity from John Taube of J.T. Sports and Letter of Provenance from Mike Heffner of Lelands.
This lot has a Reserve Price that has not been met.