Winter Auction 2015 closing February 7
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/8/2015
Before the storied "Boys of Summer" teams of the 1940's and 50's, there was the 1916 Robins, the first team to bring the World Series to Brooklyn. Named after their manager, Wilbert Robinson, the Robins boasted three future Hall of Famers - Casey Stengel, Rube Marquard and Zack Wheat. All three of those immortals plus 15 of their old teammates assembled on October 7, 1949 for a reunion at New York's St. George Hotel. Most notable is that very afternoon Stengel had just piloted the Yankees to victory in Game 3 of the '49 World Series - against his former team. All 18 of the surviving Robins present that evening have signed this Spalding Ford Frick Official National League ball in either black or blue pen. A light coat of shellac has preserved the signatures on this ball to an average condition of 9/10. Besides Hall of Famers Stengel, Marquard and Wheat the other signatures are Chief Meyers, Nap Rucker, Otto Miller, Hy Myers, Jeff Pfeffer, George Cutshaw, Larry Chaney, Ollie O'Mara, Jimmy Johnston, Gus Getz, Arthur Dede, Ivy Olson and Wheezer Dell. Even the team's 1916 mascot - Joe "Red" Monahan - has signed! Since it wasn't customary for a team to sign a baseball until well into the 1920's, this 1916 National League Champions reunion ball is all the more important as it collects Brooklyn's first great team. Letter of Authenticity U06394 from PSA/DNA.