sold for 

$600.00

c1907 Cornell

c1907 Cornell football pillow cover, 22" x 22", Lot 157

sold for 

$500.00

c1950 John J. O'Brien  Basketball Hall of Famer, Granger Tobacco diecut standup advertising sign, 33" X 22" 

Lot 624

sold for 

$425.00

c1900 Rah Rah cloth football tobacco pouch, lot 169

sold for 

$950.00

Original c1960, 96" wide x 40" tall,

wood advertising sign from Texas minor league stadium, Lot 288

sold for 

$1,200.00

c1900 Red Sox Whiskey One Ball flask, 4 1/4" tall, 

Lot 849

sold for 

not posted

19th cent Baseball silk Stevengraph, 

6 1/2" x 2 1/2", 

Lot 630

sold for 

$3,800.00

c1910 Hughie Jennings  Tuxedo Tobacco cardstock advertising sign, 21" X 11",  

Lot 1046

sold for 

$1,500.00

c1929 baseball pitcher trophy statue, 12" tall, 

Lot 851

sold for 

$2,000.00

19th cent. Darktown Battery bank, Lot 852

sold for 

$2,300.00

16" tall Pitcher, 

Lot 646

click photos

sold for 

$2,900.00

13" tall Fielder

Lot 647

sold for 

$2,600.00

16" tall Batter

Lot 648

I can't say there is any particular power piece in this auction that stops me in my tracks, however there are  many good display pieces. I count about 48 lots that merit mention. Considering they're a set of three, The bisque baseball player figures made by Heubach, lots 646, 647, and 648, (see above) are pretty strong. Of course to get all three you'd have to bid on each separately, which could get tricky depending on your budget. The Rah Rah cloth tobacco pouch lot 169 with an illustrated melon style football is really killer. I just saw one of these in the William Morford auction  last summer as I recall; pretty strong for a nick-knack item. This one and the one in Morford's are the only examples I've seen; could even be the same one going up the food chain. The c1950, 33" tall x 22" wide Granger Tobacco die-cut standup advertising sign featuring Basketball Hall of Fame member John J. O'Brien , Lot 624 is terrific. I've never seen it before. Good basketball advertising signs are quite rare in comparison to baseball and football signs...better aim high! That c1960,  wood advertising sign featuring Ted Williams for Ted's Root Beer, Lot 288 is quite impressive because of it's size, 96" wide by 40" tall. That's 8 feet wide; it'll be interesting to see what it brings. It takes a certain advanced vision and appreciation, to collect something that big. That's the first and only example I've seen of it. The 4 1/4" tall Red Sox Whiskey One Ball flask, Lot 849, is very cool. You don't see them offered often. I have one I got many years ago that you can see in my tin collection. I don't think I've seen more than 3-5 offered in 18 years. The 12" tall statue of a baseball player, Lot 851, is one of the top baseball figurals extant. I have one in my collection I got from Dan Knoll in Cleveland at the 1997 National. I think I gave $2,500.00 for it. There was one in the last Robert Edward Auction that went for $3,250.00 . Both that one and mine have the same black metal base. This is the first one I've seen with the shorter wood base. Of course the 19th century cast iron Darktown Battery penny bank, Lot 852 is and always will be one of the most classic antique baseball display pieces. The circa 1910 Tuxedo Tobacco advertising sign (maybe a trolley car sign), , Lot 1046, featuring the popular Detroit Tigers manager Hughie Jennings is a rare and  important sign. Jennings was one of the few, perhaps only, that got along with Ty Cobb as his Manager. The 19th century woven silk Stevengraph Lot 630, tall. Lastly Lot 157, the 1907, 22" by 22" framed pillow cover featuring a Cornell football motif is quite nice. This or another example offered was featured on page 1 of my 2005 National story. 

end of written preview