Sports

You Don't See These Auctioned Off Every Day: Signed Dallas Eagles Balls, From '55 and '57

By Robert Wilonsky Tue., Nov. 22 2011 at 2:25 PM
Categories: Sports, Today's History Lesson
DallasEaglesBallsForAuction.jpg
Courtesy Heritage Auctions
​I almost hate to tell you about this auction; I'd like these balls all to myself ... wait, that didn't come out right. But I've been watching 'em for the past, oh, week or so, and the prices aren't climbing like they oughta for such rare commodities as these: signed baseballs from the 1955 and '57 Dallas Eagles. (Each is presently sitting at $8, with 19 days left.) Just a month ago I talked to a member of the famed first-place '55 squad, the great Joe Cosmidis, who went on to become an honored Major League scout. But there were other notables on that team too, back when Dallas first (and, then, only briefly) operated as the New York Giants' farm team, including Pete Burnside, who got called up to the big club the next year and bounced around the majors till '63.

The '57 team remains the most famous, perhaps, because that's when 19-year-old Willie McCovey played first base at Burnett Field. But his name doesn't appear to be among those scribbled on that team-signed ball. No matter. Others on that team are worthy of mention, among them Dick Getter, who I met years ago when working on this cover story about the Eagles -- to this day, one of the finest times I ever had reporting a story.
Dick Getter holds in his massive hand a photo of the 1957 Texas League Champion Dallas Eagles. The former outfielder -- who looks nearly as sturdy and intense as he did during his playing days -- reels off the names of his teammates as though he just stepped off the field with them: "That's Joey Amalfitano, he's third-base coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers now ...That's Tony Taylor, he played in the major leagues till the 1970s ... Nick Testa, he used to be the bullpen coach for the Giants ... Joe Kotrany, he died last week."
The Eagles were Dad's favorite ball club, you know. I know I'm gonna regret telling you about this.
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Scotty
Scotty

I'd figure it would be painful to auction off balls you've had since 55 and 57.

Scotty
Scotty

I'd figure it'd be painful to have your balls from 55 and 57 auctioned off.

DuckDuckGoose
DuckDuckGoose

Joey Amalfitano - remembered as an early Colt 45. Such a classic lineup:

SpanglerMejiasLarkerWarwickRanew AmalfitanoLillisAspromonte

pak152
pak152

dang that  is a hefty buyer's premium unless it doesn't go up as the bidding goes up

nice find. did you win the photograph of the housing project off of Cedar Springs?

Ed D.
Ed D.

Buyer's Premium: 19.5% of the successful bid (minimum $14 per lot)

pak152
pak152

with the current bid @ $8 total cost with buyer's premium is $22

Ed D.
Ed D.

Right, and that buyer's premium will stay at the minimum until the bid goes over $71.80. Even with the hefty premium, that ball is a steal at any price.

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