LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2007 May Sports Sig. Auction #707  / 

19588

Circa 1903 Cy Young Personal Traveling Trunk. I

Currency:USD Category:Sports - Cards & Fan Shop Start Price:2,500.00 USD Estimated At:10,000.00 - 20,000.00 USD
Circa 1903 Cy Young Personal Traveling Trunk. I
<B>Circa 1903 Cy Young Personal Traveling Trunk.</B></I> If only the original contents of uniforms, bats, gloves and baseballs were still there! Historic steamer trunk traveled the rails with baseball's all-time winningest pitcher, showing tremendous use from a thrilling life with the Dead Ball Era's greatest hurler. While the artifacts of Young's baseball life no longer reside within, several pieces were found when the trunk was rediscovered in May 1974. These include Young's black top hat (showing heavy wear), an ancient seed catalog relating to Young's post-career farming endeavors, and a hardcover medical book once belonging to Young's wife in her youth, ornately inscribed on the opening page, "Miss Robba Miller's Book." We also find half of a page of letterhead for "The Cy Young Supporter," the athletic gear that Young promoted during his playing days. Mathematical calculations in an unknown hand are on verso. Rather mysteriously, a piece of wood gnawed by beavers is within the trunk as well.<BR><BR> While these very personal contents and the very faded "CY" barely visible upon the left side of the trunk are quite convincing, certainly the provenance of a piece such as this is of the utmost importance. The volume of documentation tracking the history of the piece is quite impressive:<BR><BR> · A newspaper clipping stating that the entire Cy Young estate was left to the Benedum family, who cared for Young at the end of his life. A photograph of Young with the Benedums is also included in this lot. · A notice for the May 22, 1974 auction of the contents of the Benedum farm in Peoli, OH. · A handwritten note, signed "Mrs. And Mrs. John Benedum" at the close, that reads, "The trunk purchased at the Benedum sale, Peoli, May 22, 1974 by Leonard Brown was formerly owned by Cy Young and was used during his baseball career." · Leonard Brown's number "107" bidding paddle for that auction with seven lot tags for pieces he purchased that day, each bearing his "107" number. One reads simply "Trunk," with a price of $18. · A typed, signed letter from Leonard Brown, dated 1988, noting his purchase of the trunk at the Benedum auction, and how he received the letter of provenance from the Benedum's attesting to Young's ownership of the trunk. · Pair of identical newspaper clippings announcing the Newcomerstown, OH (Young's hometown) auction in 1995 of the Leonard H. Brown estate, listing "3 flat trunks (Cy Young foot locker)" among the lots to be sold. · Our consignor's lot tag for his purchase in that auction of "Cy Young trunk" for $800.<BR><BR> This exceptional piece stands as one of the few surviving artifacts from the playing career of this iconic sports figure, and derives from the same private Cy Young Museum that once housed the 1908 Cy Young Day loving cup also presented within this auction. Dimensions 21x22x39".<BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Miscellaneous Collectibles, Larg (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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