Spring Auction: Play Ball With Ted Williams and More
1939 Ted Williams, T3 Turkey Reds, R327 Original Artwork Up for Bidding through May 29th.
The Huggins & Scott Spring Auction features a items spanning the pre-war era. Here we’ll spotlight a classic, high-grade antique treasures, and even some extremely rare original artwork with hall of fame pedigree. Bidding in the Spring Auction closes Thursday, May 29th.
1939 Play Ball #92 Ted Williams Rookie
In his first season with the Boston Red Sox, Ted Williams punished American League pitching by batting .327 and smacking a league-leading 145 RBIs. The offered 1939 Play Ball #92 Ted Williams rookie card pictures the Hall of Famer following through on his perfect swing. This centered pre-war classic presents at the tip-top of its overall assessment by showcasing barely touched corners and fresh edges against a clean black-and-white action pose. The reverse which touts Williams’ “great future” is wax-stain free.
1895 N300 Mayo’s Cut Plug Kid Nichols
Only 26 total copies of the offered 1895 N300 Mayo’s Cut Plug Charles (Kid) Nichols have been judged in any condition. The 361-game winner and 1949 Hall of Famer is portrayed during his Boston Beaneaters tenure on this tobacco relic which displays an instantly clear sepia image. Despite reverse album residue, the front is still quite clean with incidental color imperfections and limited chipping to the pitch-black bordering. The overall presentation of this 130 year-old artifact is pleasing and will be a key piece to any nineteenth century gathering.
1933 Sport Kings #38 Bobby Jones
Legendary golfer Bobby Jones follows through on his 1933 Sport Kings #38 high number. This crisp cornerstone featuring the “champion of golf” is bolstered by four sharp corners, off-white edges and a shimmering surface. The reverse detailing the golfer’s exploits is clean and amplified by vibrant green text. It’s one of the more important golf cards ever produced, and intrigued collectors can also find a Walter Hagen from the same set in the Spring Auction lots.
1910 E98 Anonymous Set of 30 Fred Tenney (Red) from Black Swamp Find
The offered 1910 E98 Anonymous Set of 30 Fred Tenney with a red background was one of nearly 700 cards from the designation uncovered by a Defiance, Ohio family in 2012. Resting untouched for over a century, these pristine specimens were discovered in a box in an attic. Each card stack was tightly secured by antique twine and had entirely escaped the harsh Midwestern elements. Considerable national media attention was attached to the story as national television outlets and newspapers reported the details of the remarkable find. This centered showpiece of the New York Giants first baseman appears to have been untouched for the past 125 years!
1911 T3 Turkey Red Cabinets #23 Nap Lajoie (Checklist Back)
With a determined stare and stout stance, the celebrated Napoleon Lajoie commands this impressive 1911 T3 Turkey Red Cabinets #23 premium. A crease-free antique that displays only modest corner wear and a slightly soiled perimeter. The Cleveland Hall of Famer emerges from a majestic tri-color pastel backdrop on this artifact which exhibits flawless surface registration and exact player/uniform details. The pronounced checklist has sustained only modest peripheral soiling but is otherwise unmarked. This is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to T3 Turkey Reds in the Spring Auction – dive deeper on the auction site to find more legends like Cy Young, Christy Mathewson, Tris Speaker, as well as multiple lots with ungraded collections from the niche pre-war set.
BONUS ITEM
1934-1936 R327 Diamond Stars #77 Charlie Gehringer – Original Card Artwork 
A bit off the beaten path, but surely something intriguing to pre-war card collectors, is this actual original artwork from the 1935 R327 Diamond Stars National Chicle baseball card set, featuring Hall of Famer Charlie Gehringer. Original artwork from this series – or any prewar series for that matter – is extremely rare! This is only the third time the auction has offered an original R327 card artwork in more than 20 years!
Back in the late 1970’s a group of material surfaced in the collecting world directly from the family of a National Chicle employee, which included approximately thirty original R327 Diamond Star artworks. The offered artwork very likely originates directly from this historic find. It is an exceptional example of original 1930s gum card artwork! As is the case with all Diamond Stars artworks, the artwork is on thick artist’s board, and measures 4.5 x 5.5 inches. Extremely clean, with sharp, bright, crisp colors. Gehringer’s name and team are lightly written in pencil along the bottom border.
Bidding in the Spring Auction is open through Thursday, May 29th – get in there now to browse and bid on these items and much more from all eras of sports collectibles.
Interested in learning how much your cards are worth in the current market? Email pictures to REA for a no-obligation review!