Munson ball 24K

[ccmunner]

Can somebody tell me how a Thurman Munson auto ball goes for $24k in the Grey Flannel auction? He was a very good player but not great. Averaged 13HRs, 80 RBI and .292 avg for his 11 year career. I get that he played in the biggest market and that he passed away at such a young age making him immortal in a way but 24K for a ball that he touched for 10 seconds I don't get. Please enlighten me.

[Masimen]

[QUOTE=ccmunner;276213]Can somebody tell me how a Thurman Munson auto ball goes for $24k in the Grey Flannel auction? He was a very good player but not great. Averaged 13HRs, 80 RBI and .292 avg for his 11 year career. I get that he played in the biggest market and that he passed away at such a young age making him immortal in a way but 24K for a ball that he touched for 10 seconds I don't get. Please enlighten me.[/QUOTE

Only takes 2 bidders with the disposable income who want an item bad enough to run the price up in an auction. Happens all the time. Auction ends and the rest of us shake our heads.

[yanks12025]

Well it was in great shape and came from Mickey Rivers.

[maverick14]

Well it was in great shape and came from Mickey Rivers.

That's the perfect answer right there.

Before I got into game-used, single-signed baseballs particularly HOF, were my main collection focus and still tends to be. I've seen many a Munson ball but that is by far the cleanest one I've seen. Plus almost anything that has provenance from another player or a player's family increases the value significantly.

[legaleagle92481]

You left out that Munson posted those numbers as a catcher. How many catchers post numbers like that? He also was a Rookie of the Year and AL MVP, eight time allstar, multiple time Gold Glover and captain of the Yankees and a key part of multiple World Series winning teams. If he had lived he would probably have been a no doubt about it Hall of Famer. He died at 32 suddenly before the era of every athlete signing autograph after autograph. You rarely see him on a baseball most are forgeries when they do pop up. Is it alot? Of course but it is a one of a kind item. His checks sell for $1,000s even the endorsed Yankee payroll ones. The guy is a key part of Yankee history.

[ccmunner]

I understand to an extent. It's just mind blowing to me regardless of the circumstances.

[trsent]

Can somebody tell me how a Thurman Munson auto ball goes for $24k in the Grey Flannel auction? He was a very good player but not great. Averaged 13HRs, 80 RBI and .292 avg for his 11 year career. I get that he played in the biggest market and that he passed away at such a young age making him immortal in a way but 24K for a ball that he touched for 10 seconds I don't get. Please enlighten me.

Munson was The Yankees' Captain when he passed. His stats didn't tell the whole story and the fact that he is not in The Baseball Hall of Fame is a shame. He was a true leader on the field and a hero.

[ironmanfan]

Economics 101

Supply/Demand

[gnishiyama]

Only takes 2 bidders with the disposable income who want an item bad enough to run the price up in an auction. Happens all the time. Auction ends and the rest of us shake our heads.

Or sometimes in my case, auction ends, I end up winning after praying
someone outbids me and I'm left shaking my head.

[sox83cubs84]

Two other factors to cosnider:

First, Munson died in 1979, before the collector preference of single-signed baseballs became the norm. Also, Munson was a notoriously difficult signer during his short life.

Dave Miedema