Heritage Auctions has halted the auction of a lot claimed to include the bases and plate from the historic game when Hank Aaron hit his 715th home run after questions concerning the items' authenticity arose late last week.
Heritage CEO Chris Ivy told cllct Tueday night the auction was "pulled due to a title dispute."
Both the Baseball Hall of Fame and Atlanta Braves released statements Friday, questioning the authenticity and ownership of the bases and plate, which the auction house claimed were pulled up by Braves employees after the home run and then given to the current consigner in 2016.
The Hall of Fame said it currently has what it believes to be third base from the game displayed at the museum in Cooperstown, N.Y., saying it was given to the Hall by Aaron in 1982.
Heritage responded in a statement the same day that it was unaware of the base in the Hall of Fame, but was “satisfied that these are the authentic bases based on their source and the provenance."
In a cease-and-desist letter, obtained by cllct Friday, representatives from the Braves accused Heritage of "actively auctioning off items that were obtained by improper or illegal means; or auctioning off knowingly unauthenticated items."
The claim of improper diligence by the auction house extended to lots for Aaron’s jerseys from 1954 and 1974, and Aaron’s hat from 1974, all of which are set to sell in this week’s auction.
The Braves threatened legal action if the auction house did not remove the lots by the end of day Tuesday. As recently as Tuesday morning, Heritage said it was standing by the authenticity of the lots in question, seemingly including the Aaron bases and plate.
“The Braves did not have all the facts concerning the Braves material in the upcoming auction,” Heritage said in the statement. “Heritage Auctions is currently sharing that information with the Braves’ counsel, and we hope to have this expediently and amicably resolved.
The auction house reversed its position as it pulled the lot from its upcoming auction Tuesday, despite leaving up the other Aaron lots, of which the nature of the Braves’ authenticity concerns are unclear. Those items are set to sell this weekend.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.