This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 3/1/2015
George Sisler (1883-1973) was well respected as both a gentleman and a world class five tool baseball player. When George Sisler retired in 1930, he was regarded as one of the games finest hitters, a class that included Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, and Joe Jackson.
According to his online biography: After graduating with a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Michigan in 1915, a rarity for ball-players at the time, Sisler moved right onto the roster of the St. Louis Browns. Starting his career as a pitcher, he eventually became a first baseman in order to get his powerful left-handed bat in the everyday lineup.
Peerless defensively at first, Sisler also excelled with his 42-ounce bat in hand. In a big league career that lasted 15 seasons, “Gorgeous George” batted over .300 13 times, including league-leading averages of .407 in 1920 and .420 in 1922. His 257 hits during the 1920 campaign remained a modern major league record until Seattle’s Ichiro Suzuki broke it in 2004. A skilled base runners as well, he led the league in stolen bases four times.
Baseball great Ty Cobb, an American League rival for many years, once called Sisler “the nearest thing to a perfect ballplayer” he had ever seen.
Ending his career with 2,812 hits and a .340 batting aver-age, Sisler was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939. But because he often played on second-division teams and never had the national stage of a World Series, he was reserved and much less flamboyant that fellow stars of the time like Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb, and as a first baseman was overshadowed by the enormity of Lou Gehrig.
Offered for this lot is a 1915-30 era Spalding Buckle back First Base Mitt attributed to being worn by George Sisler via vintage provenance from sporting goods dealer Monne Farrell. An additional letter is included from collector Russ Walker. Fitting the right hand for the left handed Sisler, The glove remains in excellent condition while exhibiting signs of heavy game wear.
Manufactured by Spalding, the original, period square manufactures logo is still present on the reverse. The buckle and leather strap is complete, pliable, and intact. All of the leather lacing and pocket is original and intact. The piping is high quality leather. Glove shows exceptional heavy game wear.
The glove was originally inspected by the staff of MEARS on July 23rd, 2004. The accompanying provenance reads,
“This baseball hall of fame George Sisler baseball glove was purchased from noted baseball memorabilia collector and ex New York Yankee club house attendant in 1974 along with the enclosed letter from previous owner Monne Farrell. Signed Russ Walker, Smithfield, RI. “
And additional letter states,
“Bill:
I hope this letter will serve as proof of the two gloves I sent you. As I mentioned when I last saw you these gloves were left over from a display that I had quite a few years ago. The two parties involved said I could keep the gloves. Knowing your vast collection I know you will be proud to add these to it.
One of the gloves was worn by George Sisler during the early 1920s. If you look closely on the bottom of the glove with a magnifying glass you can see the letter G of his first name. I guess they stamped it on the glove for him. …
Please excuse my poor typing but it’s been a while since I sat down at the keyboard. Continued success with your collecting.
Truly Yours,
Monne Farrell”
Per our research, we found an article published in the Daytona Beach Newspaper (July 9, 1980), which verified that Monne Farrell was a sporting good dealer since 1957 and he was pictured in his place of business.
The value of the glove is based on the personal comfort level derived from the accompanying provenance. Per our research, MEARS was able to date the model and style of the glove as to being what would have been available for George Sisler to wear during the 1915-30 era. The glove was a Spalding model with no markings indicating it was manufactured specifically for George Sisler. That fact should be considered within the proper context of game worn gloves from the era, as often players wore gloves with no distinct manufactured identifying features or markings. MEARS was able to verify that Monne Farrell was a sporting goods dealer during the 1950s. He stated the glove was worn by George Sisler, and that statement alone served as verification that it was indeed worn by him.
An early relic attributed to the career of Hall of Famer George Sisler. LOA MEARS / Monne Farrell LOA