Press Release

For Immediate release!


ICONS AND IDOLS: SPORTS ANNOUNCED BY JULIEN'S AUCTIONS

From the Court to the Field to the Ring — A Vast Collection of Iconic Sports Memorabilia to be Offered Including the Harlan Werner Muhammad Ali Collection and Game #1 Line Up Card of Cal Ripken Jr.'s Streak

Friday, December 6, 2013 – 10:00 a.m. P.S.T.

Beverly Hills, California – November 18, 2013 — Julien’s Auctions, the world’s premier sports and entertainment auction house, has announced Icons and Idols: Sports, a remarkable collection of sports memorabilia offered for an exclusive one-day auction on Friday, December 6, 2013.

Muhammad Ali “Fists of Greatness

The Harlan Werner Muhammad Ali Collection along with the official Baltimore Orioles line-up card from Game #1 of Cal Ripken Jr.’s historic 2,632 consecutive playing streak are amongst the championship like selection being offered at the exclusive auction event.  Additional highlights for the sports fan include Don Newcombe’s game worn 1957 Brooklyn Dodgers home flannel jersey and 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.

The Collection of Harlan Werner was amassed while he 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 items 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 US.

Werner helped in raising money to build the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky, donated items from his personal collection to the Ali Center, provided items from his collection that were used to create props for the film Ali starring Will Smith, has been covered in numerous news articles around the world, and was a guest on 60 Minutes.

Cal Ripken Jr.’s Game #1 Line Up Card from Streak

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.

Also presented at Icons and Idols: Sports is 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.

Don Newcombe’s 1957 Brooklyn Dodgers game worn flannel jersey

Don Newcombe’s 1957 Brooklyn Dodgers game worn home flannel jersey shares the field with these iconic athletes. 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. The interest in the Newcombe memorabilia eclipses the scarcity of game worn Brooklyn Dodgers jerseys of any kind and the fact that it is the jersey worn by Newcombe during the Dodgers’ last season in Brooklyn.

Other Sports highlights include 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.

Additional auction highlights include highly-sought after memorabilia from Basketball, Football, Soccer, Racing, Baseball and additional boxing. These 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.

LeBron James' 2002-03 Saint Vincent-Saint Mary High School game worn uniform

The Icons and Idols: Sports auction will also include an incredible array of game worn soccer jerseys from 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. Other highlights include 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, Billy Conn’s fight worn robe, gloves and boots for his bout versus Joe Louis on June 16, 1946, 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.

ICONS AND IDOLS: SPORTS AUCTION
ICONS AND IDOLS: ROCK 'N ROLL AUCTION

PUBLIC EXHIBITION DATES
Julien’s Auctions Beverly Hills
Monday, December 2nd – Thursday, December 5th, 2013
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Daily

LIVE AND ONLINE AUCTION

Friday, December 6th, 2013
ICONS AND IDOLS: SPORTS

Session I: 10:00 a.m. P.S.T.
ICONS AND IDOLS: ROCK 'N ROLL
Session II: 2:00 p.m. P.S.T.

Saturday, December 7th, 2013
ICONS AND IDOLS: ROCK 'N ROLL

Session III: 10:00 a.m. P.S.T.
Session IV:   2:00 p.m. P.S.T.

EXHIBITION AND AUCTION LOCATION
Julien’s Auctions Beverly Hills
9665 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 150
Beverly Hills, California 90210


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ONLINE ONLY AUCTIONS

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About

Collaborating with the famous and the exclusive, Julien’s Auctions produces high profile auctions in the film, music, art and sports markets. Julien’s Auctions has received international recognition for its unique and innovative auction events, which attract thousands of collectors, investors, fans and enthusiasts from around the world. Julien’s Auctions specializes in sales of iconic artifacts and notable collections including Marilyn Monroe, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Lady Gaga, Banksy, Cher, Michael Jackson, U2, Barbra Streisand, Les Paul, Neil Young, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Jimi Hendrix, Hugh Hefner, Pelé and many more.

In 2016, Julien’s realized $5 million in the historic auction of the Brazilian soccer icon, three-time World Cup Champion and FIFA Player of the Century’s collection of memorabilia, personal property and awards, which featured the sale of Pelé’s 3 World Cup Gold medals, sold for a combined total of US $970,992 (£674,300), including his 1970 World Cup winner’s medal sold for $427,100 (£346,000), which set world records for the most expensive Pelé item and the most expensive soccer medal ever sold at auction. In 2020, Julien’s shattered multiple records of sports jerseys sold at auction in the sale of a trio of historic #23 basketball jerseys worn by Michael Jordan (his historic 1984 “Signing Day” official Chicago Bulls rookie #23 which sold for $320,000, a new world record sale for a jersey worn by the 14 Time All-Star and five-time MVP legend), Barack Obama (the forty-fourth U.S. President’s 1979 #23 Punahou School jersey which sold for $192,000, a new world record selling price for a high school jersey) and Lebron James (the NBA legend’s 2003-2004 official Cleveland Cavaliers rookie year NBA jersey rookie season which sold for $128,000) which combined totaled $640,000 as well as Colin Kaepernick’s official San Francisco 49ers rookie jersey which sold for $128,000, a new world record for most expensive NFL jersey sold at auction. Other notable Sports memorabilia sold by Julien’s Auctions include Babe Ruth’s 1938 Brooklyn Dodgers coaching uniform which sold for $187,500 and NASCAR legend Richard Petty’s 1974 Dodge Charger Daytona race-winning car which sold for $500,000.

In 2016, Julien’s Auctions received its second placement in the Guinness Book of World Records for the sale of the world’s most expensive dress ever sold at auction, The Marilyn Monroe “Happy Birthday Mr. President” dress which sold for $4.8 million. Julien’s Auctions achieved placement in the Guinness Book of World Records in 2009 for the sale of Michael Jackson’s white glove, which sold for $480,000 making it the most expensive glove ever sold at auction. In 2020, Julien’s Auctions received its third Guinness Book of World Record placement for the sale of Kurt Cobain’s “MTV Unplugged” 1959 Martin D-18E acoustic-electric guitar, which sold for $6 million making it the world’s most expensive guitar ever sold at auction. In 2022, Julien’s Auctions sold the world’s second most expensive guitar ever sold at auction with Kurt Cobain’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” music video 1969 Fender Mustang electric guitar, which sold for $4.5 million.

Based in Los Angeles, Julien’s Auctions has a global presence bringing their auctions and exhibitions to targeted destinations worldwide including London, New York, Las Vegas, Japan and China. Live auctions are presented for bidders on-site and online via live streaming video and mobile technology. For more information on Julien’s Auctions, go to www.juliensauctions.com.

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