Auction to feature baseball signed by 11 original HOFers

Published May. 9, 2019 5:00 p.m. ET

NEW YORK (AP) — A baseball signed by all 11 members of the inaugural induction class of the Baseball Hall of Fame headlines the Lelands Spring Classic Auction.

The ball features the signatures of George Sisler, Cy Young, Tris Speaker, Eddie Collins, Connie Mack, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Babe Ruth, Walter Johnson, Larry Lajoie, Ty Cobb and Honus Wagner. All were inducted in 1939.

The autographs were collected on inauguration day by Eddie Rommel, a star pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics in the 1920s and early 1930s and later an American League umpire.

Other items among the 42 up for bid include: a 1914 Baltimore Orioles team photo featuring 19-year-old rookie pitcher Babe Ruth; a 1924 New York Yankees team baseball signed by rookie Lou Gehrig; the jersey worn by former New York Knicks star Walt Frazier in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals, when he finished with 36 points, 19 assists and seven rebounds; a Bobby Orr game jersey from around 1972; Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis's last game-worn jersey, from the 1962 Coaches All-America Game; and Pittsburgh Steelers game jerseys from the team's archive worn by Lynn Swann, Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Jack Lambert, Mel Blount and Jack Ham.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the Steelers jerseys will be donated to the Chuck Noll Foundation for Brain Injury Research.

The auction runs through June 7.