Mantle Spare Glove to Be Auctioned

Dec. 7 -- Are you looking for that perfect Christmas gift? How about a baseball glove once worn by Mickey Mantle? Or the first issue of Playboy, featuring Marilyn Monroe and signed by her one-time husband, Joe DiMaggio?

These will be among the items up for top bids today when Sports World presents its “Fall Finale Auction 2000.” In a one-day phone auction, sports memorabilia fans will vie for items such as a 1960 Yankee jersey worn by Mantle, a 1978 Heisman trophy as well as the Mantle glove.

Sports World officials expect the Mantle glove to receive the highest bids. Since its beginning in 1984, the Florida-based memorabilia firm says it has handled some of the most cherished Mantle items, including his 1956 Triple Crown Award at the Barry Halper auction at Sotheby’s last year and the auction of a Mantle glove to comedian Billy Crystal this past October for $245,000.

Because of Mantle’s popularity and the price Crystal paid for one of Hall of Famer’s gloves, Sports World President Scott Goodman predicts the 1962 glove up for grabs today will be the most hotly contested item.

“We expect the glove to go for somewhere between $100,000 and $200,000,” said Goodman. “It’s definitely our centerpiece … we’ve already gotten bids from people in Japan and Australia.”

Sure Money for a ‘Sure Catch’?The 1962 Mantle glove is a Rawlings model that he gave to his teammate Tom Tresh that season. In a written letter, Tresh says that Mantle gave him the glove when he was suddenly moved from shortstop to the outfield. Mantle, noticing that Tresh only had a small infield glove to play the outfield, fetched his used spare glove from his locker and gave it to his teammate.

“What a thrill, how could I miss?” Tresh wrote. “I was destined to become a good outfielder because I had ‘Sure Catch, Jr.’ Mickey … had nicknamed his other glove ‘Sure Catch.’ He told me all he had to do was point ‘Sure Catch’ anywhere near a baseball, and it would just snatch it up.”