1989 Perez-Steele Signed Celebration Set (31 Signed)

Sold For:

$960

Year:

1989

Auction:

2015 Fall

Lot #:

1336

Category:

Internet Only

This 1989 Perez-Steele Celebration set features signed examples of thirty-one of the forty-one cards that could have possibly been autographed in the 44-card set (Lefty Gomez, Bill Terry, and Judy Johnson passed away during the production of the set). The offered set is complete with all forty-four issued cards, the checklist, and both the original album and presentation box. The Perez-Steele Celebration set was issued in 1989 (with no updates) to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Baseball Hall of Fame and the 10th anniversary of the Perez-Steele Galleries. Issued in cooperation with the Hall of Fame, it is one of the most beautifully designed and elaborately produced sets issued in modern times. The issue was limited to 10,000 sets (which immediately sold out) and featured cards for forty-four Hall of Famers who were still living at the time the set was conceived (in consideration of autograph collectors), plus a checklist. The artwork on the cards was done in the style of the W. S. Kimball tobacco set of 1888. The offered set is #7491. (Please Note: the Dickey signed card in this collection is from set #3348, but it includes the unsigned Dickey card from set #7491.) The thirty-one signed cards in this set are those of Aaron, Aparicio, Berra (black Sharpie), Boudreau, Dandridge, Dickey, Doerr, Ferrell, Gehringer, Herman, Hunter, Irvin, Kaline, Kell, Killebrew, Lemon, Leonard, Lopez, Mantle, Marichal, Mathews, Mize, Musial, Reese, B. Robinson, Slaughter, Snider, Spahn, Stargell, B. Williams, and T. Williams. The ten unsigned cards are those of Banks, Bell, Bench, Campanella, Chandler, Conlan, Kiner, McCovey, Sewell, and Yastrzemski. Also included is a cut signature ("10," blue Sharpie) of Al Lopez. Unless otherwise noted in our listing, all of the signatures are scripted in blue Sharpie on the front and grade "9" or "10." The cards and album are housed in an attractive presentation box, as issued, and are in Nr/Mt-Mt condition. The presentation box (13.5 x 10.5 x 2 inches) and slipcase are also in Near-Mint condition. As a point of reference, the 2013 Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards lists the value of the thirty-one signed cards in this set at $1,497. Total: 45 cards (including 31 signed examples and two cards for Dickey [one signed, one unsigned]) plus an Al Lopez cut signature. LOA from James Spence/JSA.   Reserve $300. Estimate $1,000+.