Event Details

Julien’s Auctions, the world’s premier sports and entertainment auction house, announces our annual Icons and Idols: Sports Auction, an unprecedented collection of sports memorabilia offered for an exclusive one-day auction on December 6, 2013.

 

This historic collection of items to be auctioned includes iconic selections from the Harlan Werner Muhammad Ali Collection, the official Baltimore Orioles line-up card from game #1 of Cal Ripken Jr.’s historic 2,632 consecutive games played streak, Don Newcombe’s game worn 1957 Brooklyn Dodgers home flannel jersey, as well as game worn and personally owned memorabilia from some of the world’s most iconic athletes including Michael Jordan, Babe Ruth, Jerry Rice, Wayne Gretzky, Pele, and the world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt.

 

Harlan Werner has had the great fortune to have worked for the Ali family as their agent for almost 20 years. Over that period, Werner amassed an expansive collection of memorabilia of the man known as the “Greatest Of All Time”. This is the first time these selections from Harlan Werner’s Muhammad Ali Collection have been offered at auction. Werner has traveled with Muhammad Ali to numerous countries around the world, and to states throughout the U.S., and has estimated that he has spent close to 1,000 days with Ali during their time together. Werner helped in raising money to build the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky, has donated items from his personal collection to the Ali Center and provided items from his collection that were used to create props for the film Ali starring Will Smith, as well as being covered in numerous news articles around the world and a guest on 60 Minutes.

 

Highlights from Harlan Werner’s Muhammad Ali Collection include Ali’s bronze “Fists Of Greatness”, a limited edition bronze casting of Muhammad Ali’s legendary fists, Ali’s signed Hollywood Walk of Fame Star plaque presented to Ali upon receiving his star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame in January of 2002, a complete suite of Muhammad Ali’s “The Greatest Series” hand embellished screen prints by artist Steve Kaufman with each of the four pieces in the suite signed by both Ali and Kaufman, and a Cassius Clay signed original 1960 Olympic Torch and signed original torch canister display. Werner’s Ali collection also features an extensive collection of original Muhammad Ali wire photos, as well as signed boxing gloves, trunks and multiple signed issues of Sports Illustrated magazine featuring Ali on the cover.

 

Julien’s is additionally honored to present the official Baltimore Orioles Line-Up card from Game #1 of Cal Ripken Jr.’s historic Major League Baseball record 2,632 consecutive games played streak. The line-up card, filled out in then-manager Earl Weaver’s handwriting and signed by Weaver, displays the Orioles line-up for their May 30, 1982 game versus the Toronto Blue Jays, featuring Ripken playing third base in the game and batting 8th in the Orioles line-up. The game would be the first of 2,632 consecutive games played by Ripken Jr., a streak which would last more than 16 years and eventually end on September 20, 1998. Along the way, Ripken eclipsed Lou Gehrig’s record of 2,130 consecutive games played. Gehrig’s record stood for 56 years, with many believing the record to be unbreakable. Julien’s is proud to offer this historical document from one of baseball’s greatest all-time records.

 

Julien’s will have the rare opportunity to offer Don Newcombe’s 1957 Brooklyn Dodgers game worn home flannel jersey in the auction. Newcombe was a groundbreaking player for the Dodgers, becoming the first African American to start a World Series game, and the first African American to win 20 games in one season. Newcombe was named the 1949 National League Rookie of the Year, and the 1956 National League MVP and Cy Young Award winner, becoming the very first winner of the Cy Young award. 1957 was the last season the Dodgers played in Brooklyn before moving to Los Angeles. With the scarcity of game worn Brooklyn Dodgers jerseys of any kind, along with the jersey being worn by Newcombe during the Dodgers’ last season in Brooklyn, the Newcombe jersey is sure to generate a lot of interest to museums and collectors around the world.

 

Also included in the Icons and Idols: Sports Auction will be a series of life cast bronze “Hitter’s Hands” from artist Raelee Frazier. A self-categorized “three-dimensional bronze biographer of legendary individuals’ hands”, Frazier created “Hitter’s Hands” when meeting some of Major League Baseball’s greatest hitters and actually molding their hands holding the model of bat that they used during their playing careers to make their life cast bronze hands. Bronze “Hitter’s Hands” of some of Major League Baseball’s greatest hitters including Ted Williams, Duke Snider, Stan Musial, Eddie Mathews, Brooks Robinson and Tony Gwynn will be included in the auction.

 

Basketball, Football, Soccer, Racing and additional Boxing and Baseball memorabilia will also be featured in the Icons and Idols: Sports Auction. Additional auction highlights include Michael Jordan’s 1997-98 game worn road Bulls jersey and Air Jordan shoes; LeBron James’ 2002-03 Saint Vincent-Saint Mary High School game worn uniform, and Jerry Rice’s 1994 San Francisco 49ers game worn jersey. The Icons and Idols: Sports auction will also include an incredible array of game worn soccer jerseys from some of the game’s most legendary players including Pele’s 1972-73 Santos F.C. game worn and signed jersey, Diego Maradonna’s 1986 Argentina National Team game worn jersey, Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2010-11 Real Madrid game worn jersey and Lionel Messi’s 2011-12 F.C. Barcelona game worn jersey. The sale will also feature Usain Bolt’s race worn and signed sprint spikes from the 2013 Diamond League Final, Emile Griffith’s fight worn robe from his April 25, 1966 fight versus Dick Tiger, and Billy Conn’s fight worn robe, gloves and boots for his bout versus Joe Louis on June 16, 1946. Additional baseball items include a “Babe” Ruth Special League baseball owned and signed by Ruth, a 1929 game used American League baseball signed by Ruth and Lou Gehrig, Ray Knight’s 1986 World Series attributed game used bat, and a program from the 1952 Baseball All-Star game signed-on-site and in person by 48 players and coaches at the 1952 All-Star Game.

 

All of the property in the auction will be featured in a full color limited edition catalog available for purchase at www.juliensauctions.com for $100.