Some Great Dodger Memorabilia on Auction at the National in Cleveland

The National Sports Collectors Convention is the premier hobby event in the country.  Collectors and dealers from throughout North America come out in droves to talk sports and collecting.  For folks who love the hobby there is no better place to be.

Unfortunately, being Southern California based means having to travel far distances to enjoy the show.  So, I usually have to depend on the goodwill (and photographs) of others to enjoy what it has to offer.  BTW, I have it on good word that it could be years, if ever, before they bring "The National" back to the West Coast. 

I plan, like always, to share some of my favorite pics from the web when the show opens.  So, stay tuned for that.  In the meantime, Heritage Auctions is running a Live Auction concurrent with the convention, and they recently opened it up for collectors to look through.  Below are some of my favorite Dodger items.

Wes Parker is easily the greatest defensive 1st baseman to ever put on Dodger Blue, and maybe even in all of Baseball history.  He won 6 consecutive Gold Gloves and was named to the Major League Baseball All-Time Gold Glove team in 2007.  In his 9 year career he had a .996 fielding percentage and recorded only 45 errors total.

Below is Parker's 1967 Gold Glove from Rawlings - his first in his career.  This award comes direct from Wes Parker.

(Auction Link)

Get a look at this!

Below is a player contract for Roy Campanella covering the 1947 Season.  It indicates that he is moving from their minor league club in Nashua, NH to the Dodgers tops farm team in Montreal, and that he would be earning $250.00 a month for his services.  Based on an inflation calculator from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that is equivalent to $2,667.04 per month.

(Auction Link)

Don Zimmer was one of the more beloved men to ever get on the field.  He played for 5 different clubs over a 13 playing career.  Then, he either managed or coached in the game for the remainder of his life.  Overall, he was active in professional Baseball for over 65 years.  Don Zimmer passed away last month at the age of 83. 

Featured below is a game-used Brooklyn Dodger jersey once worn by him in 1954.  It is from his first season in the Major Leagues.

(Auction Link)

Below is Don Zimmer's 1959 Los Angeles Dodgers World Championship ring.

(Auction Link)

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