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ANTIQUE OF THE WEEK

CLOSING COMMENTARY

BY

Carlton Hendricks

click here to skip closing commentary - go straight to posted closing prices

Another great Leland's auction has 

come to an end. The pieces I kept checking prices on, other than my top three picks, which I already elaborated on, were Lot 1143 SOLD FOR $3,851.06 the DiMaggio statue by Wickey, a great piece by an important American sculptor, and big, 20 inches tall.

Lot Lot 1122 SOLD FOR $430.07 the 16" tall baseball player advertising figure. John Kanuit had some smaller baseball figures with the same look at the 2005 National. Had never seen it before, great piece. 

And of course Lot 1181 SOLD FOR

$5,938.99 the c1887 Bella Pratt, Amos Alonzo Stagg statue. It's exciting to see a statue like this done by a major American sculptor who purportedly did it while both Pratt and Stagg were students at Yale. Pratt went on to become very associated with nearby Boston. I think there may be only two or three of these extant. 

Then there was Lot 194  SOLD FOR $1,292.50 the boxing board game. That was/is one of the most incredible board games on the planet. I have never seen it before. And the condition was just about unbelievable. It was English, but nevertheless...whew. Had I not been financially up to my eyeballs pursuing something earth shattering in another auction (c1899, 50lb., 30 inches tall), which I got by the way, I'd have been all over it for my own board game collection. What a great addition it would have made. Except that it wouldn't have fit in my game cabinet! 

And the other piece I'd have probably been on was that darn Joe Louis statue, Lot 190  SOLD FOR $567.70 wow, had never heard or seen of it. It's one of the biggest boxing statues I've ever seen, just amazing, what a display piece! 38 inches tall, can you imagine? Almost the size of a cigar store Indian. It looked period and looked right. I emailed Leland's and asked who the sculptor was, as the catalog description said it was signed by the artist, but they never replied with the name. Definitely I'd have been on that were I not extended!

Then there was Lot 1296  SOLD FOR

$1,410.00 that incredible 13 inch tall c1880 pool tournament trophy. An illustration like that on a trophy is very rare. Since there is an alert out for fake engraved trophies originating from the Sacramento California area, I looked it over very carefully. The best I could tell, it didn't have the look of those fake ones, so I think it's real. The swirly outline with the flowers and such are too well done. I just don't think the guy that's making the fake ones is that good. That's another one I'd like to have bid on!

The last mention is Lot 1284 SOLD FOR

$692.64 that Indy 500 banner. I didn't notice it till I was posting the closing prices but that thing's 57 inches by 35 inches...that's huge. What a great display piece. And rare, find another!

end of closing commentary

THIS AUCTION ENDS 

December 15th and 16th 2005

consult Lelands.com website for all rules and bidding details

Historically and esthetically this ball is one of the most amazing pieces to ever surface in the hobby. I don't recall ever seeing a trophy awarded to the Knickerbockers before. There's been  some extremely important decorated trophy balls come up for the 1869 Red Stockings, but they were actual lemon peels with the scores painted on them. This is different; we're talking about presentation silver awarded to a member of the founding team who invented modern baseball. I'm at a loss to recall anything like this ever offered before. This piece strikes heart stopping close to the very nucleus of baseball's origin. 

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The Knickerbockers could be considered the royal family of baseball. Not to mention they win the prize for the coolest name. For anyone not familiar with what we're dealing with, let me explain who the Knickerbockers were. They were an amateur baseball team made up of members of the Knickerbocker social club of New York City. After baseball had gone thru the "rounders" stage, it evolved into a more advanced form, and was taken up by some of  New York's upwardly mobile  young men of the day. Merchants, Stock Brokers, and Bank Clerks would be typical of the professions of the players in the 1840's. It was considered gentleman's

game then. In 1845 Alexander Cartwright and his team mates drew up the rules for the first modern style baseball game.  I wish I had time to look into
	Alexander Cartwright

this James White Davis who the ball was presented to, but the Leland's catalog gives some pretty good background. What it supplies is extremely interesting, but really I only need to know one thing to place this as one of the most important baseball antiques extant...it's from the founding team of baseball. Anything Knickerbocker immediately goes to the front of the line . Plus it's a lot more than a decorated trophy ball, it's sterling silver and exquisitely engraved. Even though the 1850-1875 date is post sequential to the 1845 inception of baseball, the history comes very close. And without knowing more about Davis, we can't rule out a connection. It'll be very interesting to see what this bring$.

This is the most high profile item in the auction. The catalog description advises there have only been six Heisman trophies total offered to the public. 1935 was the first year the Heisman was awarded. Coincidently there is a plaster one being auctioned by Sotheby's as I write,  which ends December 10th, this  month. That one is being touted as the original plaster cast by the sculptor Frank Eliscu who passed away in 1990. It was never awarded and not bronze so it wouldn't have the importance of this one in Lelands, and it's estimated at $200,000.00 to $300,000.00 I once called Eliscu at his home in Florida about 18 years ago to see if he had a Heisman for sale. He didn't but as I recall he offered me some small wax figures of football players he had, which I passed on. 

As I write, there are 13 days left in the Leland's auction and the current bid is $107,179.45. As a side note, I recall maybe 15 years ago seeing two examples of versions that were slightly smaller than the size of the actual Heisman. I think  Leland's had one.

I've checked my five volume Mott's History of American Magazines and can not find any reference to a Sunday Journal. Therefore I think this advertises the Sunday edition of the New York Journal newspaper.  In 1896 the two major competing newspapers in New York City were the New York Journal, owned 

They were fierce competitors. The fact it's newspaper related makes the poster more appealing to me, since I happen to find the newspaper business and its history very interesting. Plus,  American newspaper advertising posters are more rare than American Magazine advertising posters. 

Artistically you'll not see many antique baseball posters this good. There could hardly be a more classic illustration of a baseball player; the pillbox cap, the handlebar moustache, the squared barrel black tipped bat,  the stance, all so classic. And the player looks convincingly

It's puzzling, nevertheless it's so great I give it my top third pick anyway.