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Description

1982 "Babe Ruth Crown" Presented to Willie McCovey from The Willie McCovey Collection. From a standpoint of pure aesthetics, this might be our favorite baseball award of all, a regal lifetime achievement award presented in honor of Baltimore's favorite baseball son by the Maryland Professional Baseball Players Association. The honor was created in 1956, at which point it was presented to the player with the highest slugging percentage. Originally called "The Sultan of Swat Award," its recipients read like a who's who of baseball legends: Mantle, Aaron, Williams, Mays, Banks. In later years, along with the shift in terminology, the award would come to be presented to retired ballplayers instead, still honoring the elite hitter which its namesake exemplified.

This striking royal relic is the prize presented to a man who supplied the residents of California with twenty-two years of brilliance on the field, and even more years of kindness and generosity off of it. The golden band of the crown is artfully engraved with an array of statistics and achievements that would pave McCovey's path to the front door of Cooperstown, where he would arrive four years after the crown's presentation.

The golden, bejeweled crown survives in nearly pristine condition, with aesthetics and importance that will make it the focal point of even the finest of private collections. The lot also includes a 6x4" photograph of the crown when it was displayed in McCovey's home. Letter of provenance from Willie McCovey's widow.


Auction Info

Auction Dates
August, 2021
21st-22nd Saturday-Sunday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 28
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 1,166

Buyer's Premium per Lot:
20% of the successful bid per lot.

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Sold on Aug 22, 2021 for: $40,800.00
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