More than a decade since the 2012 sale of items from the personal collection of Ted Williams, more pieces from his historic career will sell at the Louisville Slugger Factory & Museum’s annual auction via Hunt Auctions this November.
The highlight of the auction is Ted Williams’ 1946 American League Most Valuable Player Award, which carries a pre-sale estimate of $150,000-$300,000. The auction house describes it as “among the most important presentational pieces ever offered at auction.”
Coming from the first of two MVP seasons from Williams’ career, in which he batted .342 with 38 home runs and 123 RBI, the piece will sell for the first time following the 2012 sale of Williams' MVP Award from his 1949 season for nearly $300,000.
Williams’ 1966 Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ring sold for $444,000 in May 2023.
The auction also includes Williams’ 1958 AL Batting Championship award (estimate: $150,000 - $300,000) and a massive lot of 1,941 Ted Williams autographs completed in 1991 with the intention of creating a limited-edition offering of collectibles honoring his legendary 1941 season. The collection was never sold as intended and instead remained complete, as part of the Williams Family Collection.
Hunt says the set of autographs might represent “a singular opportunity for an enterprising organization to create (its) own limited-edition displays, market these pieces individually over time, or even utilize these pieces in the popular insert/chase cards which have fueled the trading card market over the past two decades.”
Also included in the auction is the ball Pete Rose hit for his 4,000th career hit in 1984, which carries a pre-sale estimate of $75,000-$150,000. The ball was originally given to Billy Demars, the Montreal Expos’ hitting coach at the time, who had previously served as Rose’s batting coach in Philadelphia. A New York Times article from the time references Demars shaking Rose’s hand and “taking the ball for his personal collection.”
Rose’s record-breaking 4,192nd hit, which broke Ty Cobb’s all-time hits record, sold in 2017 for more than $400,000. The same ball became the first piece of sports memorabilia to sell for six figures when it sold originally in 1987.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.