Lot # 2445: 1963 Hall of Fame Busts Collection (15) Including Ruth, Cobb, Johnson, Mathewson, and Wagner

Collection of fifteen (eleven different) 1963 Hall of Fame busts, six of which are in their original boxes. The Hall of Fame busts, produced by Sports "Hall of Fame," Inc. (the official licensee of the National Baseball Hall of Fame), feature a white, bust-length image of the respective player rendered in plastic and mounted upon an imitation-wood plastic base. Displayed on each base is a plaque listing the player's career highlights. Six figures (height: 6 inches) are still in their original packaging, a red, white, and gold box (4 x 3 x 8.5 inches), the reverse of which features portrait images of all twenty offered players in the set: Ruth, DiMaggio, Cobb, Gehrig, Hornsby, Wagner, Traynor, Dickey, W. Johnson, Mathewson, J. Robinson, Greenberg, Sisler, Cochrane, Speaker, Feller, Cronin, Foxx, McGraw, and P. Waner. Although the text on the reverse makes note of "Many More" to come, the twenty listed were the only ones ever issued. The Hall of Fame busts were originally sold in Cooperstown but apparently were not a particularly successful line. Somehow the entire remaining stock wound up at Manny's Baseball Land, the souvenir store located across the street from Yankee Stadium. The Manny's stock had a very poor distribution, with only six or eight different players represented, and most of the Hall of Fame busts in original boxes that have survived in the hobby today originate from Manny's. When sold in 1963, each box was covered in cellophane. Three of the boxes in this collection are complete with the original cellophane. The busts still housed in their cellophane boxes are in apparent Near Mint condition. The boxes without cellophane are in Fair condition overall. The fifteen players represented here are two Cobb (one in box), Cochrane (box), Cronin (box), Dickey (box, three tears to cellophane), Foxx, two Hornsby, two Johnson (one in box, small tear to cellophane), Mathewson, Ruth (box), two Traynor, and Wagner. Total: 15 pieces. The size/weight of this item requires that there will be an additional shipping charge for this lot.