Heritage Platinum Auction

[e107collector]

Is anyone surprised by what the Shoeless Joe Jackson Bat ended at - $537K?

I know that's a lot of money, but I thought it may have went closer to $750K?

Thoughts?

Tony

[Mark]

Originally Posted by e107collector

Is anyone surprised by what the Shoeless Joe Jackson Bat ended at - $537K?

I know that's a lot of money, but I thought it may have went closer to $750K?

Thoughts?

Tony

I wasn't sure what would happen in light of the questions that were raised on this site and others about calling that particular bat "Black Betsy." But it sure would be nice to have a bat that was bequeathed by Joe Jackson.

[Giants00]

I was stunned by the prices for the top two jerseys. The fact that we have 2 non Ruth jerseys over 500k is an incredible day. If we had a world where buyers could have comfort on big ticket jerseys without golden provenance, it would help all.
Heritage is really on a roll. I have bid and bought from them and they have been a class act.
I was a bit surprised the Musial did not go a bit higher.
Dan

[bobbyw8469]

I am not 100% convinced with that particular bat being dubbed THE "Black Betsy".....I would wager a heavy sum, that it was NOT the fabled bat.

[bobbyw8469]

PS - I wouldn't be surprised if within the next 15-20 years, a bat with a stronger claim to the moniker "Black Betsy" pops up, and the selling auction house touts it as such. Then what would happen to the value and bat that Heritage auctioned off?? I would hate to be that guy!!! But he would have good company (ie, Billy Crystal), as far as that goes.....

[Heritage Sports]

Let me begin by saying thank you for all the kind words about our auction. Obviously we were very pleased (though not particularly surprised) by the very strong results. Not only was the material first rate, to put it mildly, but our marketing department did a fantastic job of promoting the auction. Their biggest coup was a full page article in Tuesday's New York Times about The Lou Gehrig Collection, but we got press all over the place which brought some very serious new bidders to the auction, including some international heavy hitters garnered from considerable foreign press coverage. And, of course, our catalog designers crafted a true masterpiece--I doubt a single copy will end up in the trash. Thursday night was definitely a thrilling conclusion to a lot of hard work by a lot of people.

I certainly don't want to come off as defensive, but I did want to address the Black Betsy question. I've been working in sports auctions exclusively for twelve years and the bat has some of the strongest provenance I've ever encountered. You have numerous sources discussing the unusual curve of the Black Betsy. You have photos of Jackson with the bat. There are newspaper articles dating over decades. There is the will, and the letter from the heir. The notion that Jackson saved two very distinctively curved bats with early Spalding imprints for over four decades but that he and his family only acknowledged the existence of one seems astronomically improbable. We all know that PSA/DNA doesn't throw around GU 10 grades without good reason. Any smart collector knows that a little skepticism is a good thing, but this is evidence even the OJ and Casey Anthony jurors couldn't ignore. In other words, we'll take that "heavy sum" action. I'll be looking to retire in twenty years.

[bobbyw8469]

I wouldn't be so quick to jump on that "action" Johnathan. Whoever made Mr. Crystal whole for that glove he bought?!?! Or is that money just thrown down the drain? I understand your belief that the bat was "indeed" Black Betsy, and I understand your conviction, and you job position forces you to believe that position. Don't think what I said will never happen though. It is more likely to happen than not.....