chefbob Posted December 19, 2005 Share Posted December 19, 2005 this guys collection was just amazing. how does one get such rare things? money, I suppose. LiNkAgE Baseball Collector Barry Halper Dies LIVINGSTON, N.J. - Barry Halper, owner of one of the most extensive collections of baseball memorabilia and a limited partner in the New York Yankees, has died at 66. Halper, who died Sunday at St. Barnabas Medical Center, was bedridden for nearly a year from complications of diabetes, said longtime friend and former Yankees spokesman Marty Appel. A portion of his Halper's collection was acquired by Major League Baseball and donated to the Hall of Fame in 1998. Halper also fetched a staggering $21.8 million ? a record for sports memorabilia ? during a weeklong auction at Sotheby's in 1999. Included in the Sotheby's sale was a game-used Mickey Mantle glove, purchased by actor-comedian Billy Crystal for $239,000. "Barry was a dear friend, a valued partner for many years and a decent, genuine person," Yankees owner George Steinbrenner said in a statement. "What a great baseball fan he was. I'll miss him dearly." Halper amassed some 80,000 items, including uniforms of many Hall of Famers, an original ticket from the first World Series in 1903 and the jersey Lou Gehrig wore in his farewell speech at Yankee Stadium in 1939. Halper also owned oddities such as the false teeth worn by Ty Cobb, baseball's all-time leading hitter. Also in Halper's collection were uniforms worn by Cobb, Walter Johnson, Cy Young and Mantle, during his rookie season of 1951. Halper also had the contract finalizing the sale of Babe Ruth from the Boston Red Sox to the Yankees, and a Honus Wagner baseball card. Survivors include Halper's wife Sharon, sons Steven and Jason, and daughter Marnie Stark. Funeral services are Tuesday at Temple B'Nai Jeshurun in Short Hills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beetle Posted December 19, 2005 Share Posted December 19, 2005 Wow. He had almost enough stuff to build his own Cooperstown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FutureGM Posted December 19, 2005 Share Posted December 19, 2005 He was one of the first to recognize that in the future, memorabilia would have value. He didn't buy all that much of his stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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