July 15, 2021: Summer Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 7/15/2021
Here are a half dozen important contracts from the personal collection of former major leaguer Jimmie Price, plus private letters and telegrams relating to his various assignments, along with other career ephemera from the Detroit Tigers backup catcher in the late 1960s and early 1970s, often with accompanying mailing envelopes and related material. The contracts are in outstanding Ex-Mt or better condition, often boasting blazing signatures from MLB dignitaries like Tigers’ General Manager Jim Campbell and Pirates GM Joe L. Brown. Price played six seasons for the Tigers from 1967-71, finishing with a lifetime .214 average, 18 home runs and 71 RBI. Later an acclaimed broadcaster in Detroit, his tenure included the giddy 1968 season when the Tigers captured the imagination of a nation and a strife-wearied Detroit by defeating the favored St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. Here’s the breakdown: 1) A four-page 1960-dated National Association contract for the Kingsport team in the Appalachian League, with Price signature appearing three times and his father’s twice; 2) four-page 1965 Columbus contract with Price autograph on Page Three, with accompanying letter and formal notice, both signed by Pirates GM Joe L. Brown; 3) Price’s 1967 Pirates four-page National League contract signed by Joe L. Brown, with Registered Mail envelope; 4) Price’s 1969 Tigers four-page American League contract, with General Manager Jim Campbell signature; 5) Price’s Detroit Tigers 1970 four-page American League contract signed by GM Jim Campbell, along with a personal letter on Tigers’ Letterhead signed by Campbell’s secretary; 6) Price’s 1971 Detroit Tigers 1971 six-page contract signed by Price and Campbell; 7) 1971-Dated Notice to Player of Release or Transfer signed by Campbell, along with formal letter on Tigers stationery signed by Campbell (“Jim”) and corresponding Western Union Telegram; and 8) Major League Baseball Players Association Constitution and Bylaws, 3 ½-by-5 inches, with 16 inside pages, including nine listing the various articles of the constitution, Near-Mint condition.
1967-71 Detroit Tigers Jimmie Price MLB Contracts, Ephemera (12)
Click above for larger image.