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Sports Auction: Norman Rockwell Painting Sells for $1.68M - Artcentron
Tuesday 19th March 2024,

    ART AUCTION

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    Sports Auction: Norman Rockwell Painting Sells for $1.68M

    posted by ARTCENTRON
    Sports Auction: Norman Rockwell Painting Sells for $1.68M

    A Norman Rockwell painting of Beans Reardon for the Saturday Evening Post thought to be just a framed print has sold for almost two million dollars during Heritage Auctions sports auction. Image: Heritage Auctions

    ART AUCTION: A newly discovered painting by famous painter Norman Rockwell sells for $1.68M during Heritage Sports Auction.

    BY KAZAD

    DALLAS, TEXAS- A recently discovered Norman Rockwell original Saturday Evening Post cover study for the painting Tough Call has sold for $1.68M, setting a world record for the artist. Estimated at more than $300,000, the illustration soared beyond estimates when it went under the hammer on  Monday during Heritage Auctions Sports Platinum Night Auction in Dallas.

    For decades, the painting was believed to be just a framed print that was signed by Rockwell to umpire Beans Reardon.  The true importance of the painting came to light after it was presented to Heritage Auction House. Experts at the auction house were quick to discover that it is an original oil on paper study work for one of Rockwell’s most famous paintings. Chris Ivy, director of Sports Auctions at Heritage described the discovery of the Rockwell discovery as “a wonderful story and we expect this work to do quite well considering the broad interest across sports, art and Rockwell enthusiasts.”

    Sports and Art Collectors

    Ivy’s excitement must have gone over the top when sports and art collectors went into an online bidding war to win the painting. The result of the online war is that the painting sold for more than three times its estimated price.  “I need to credit my colleagues in the Art division for the assist on this one,” explained Ivy in his response to the sale. “This isn’t the first time that we’ve been able to draw from other segments of our million-strong bidding clientele to benefit a Sports consignor,” he concluded.

    Benefiting from the sale is a direct descendant of the famed Major League umpire John “Beans” Reardon, the primary subject of the Norman Rockwell painting. The final version of the painting appeared on the 1949 cover of the Saturday Evening Post.

    The Norman Rockwell painting is just one of the works that helped Heritage Auction achieve the $10.7 Million sports auction.  Also making a high price at the sports auction is Gehrig’s 1937 New York Yankees home pinstriped jersey. The jersey soared to a world record price of $870,000.  His 1924 rookie contract with the New York Yankees drew a winning bid of $480,000.

    Gehrig was not the only legendary Yankee that made a great showing at the sports auction. Mickey Mantle’s 1954 jersey sold for  $432,000 while a bat used during Babe Ruth’s first pinstriped season realized $408,000.

    Signed pre-war baseball cards showed tremendous appreciation at the sports auction as some of them did very well during the sale. A signed  Gehrig’s baseball card sold for $52,800 while one signed by Ty Cobb sold for $33,600. Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords realized $22,800 and $36,000 respectively.

    Below are other highlights  of the Heritage Auctions

    Image: Lou Gehrig's 1937 New York Yankees Jersey sold for $870,000 during Heritage Auctions Sports Auctions

    Lou Gehrig’s 1937 New York Yankees Jersey. Image; Heritage Auctions

    • 1920 “Shoeless Joe” Jackson & Buck Weaver Signed Baseball: $240,000
    • Circa 1915 Babe Ruth Rookie-Era Original Photograph by Paul Thompson: $72,000
    • Early 1960s Paul Hornung Game-Worn Green Bay Packers Jersey: $84,000
    • 1936 Casey Stengel Game-Worn Brooklyn Dodgers Uniform: $90,000
    • 1933-2016 Major League Baseball All-Star Game Complete Ticket Run: $144,000
    • 1970 Ernie Banks Game-Worn Chicago Cubs Jersey, MEARS A10: $132,000
    • 1915-19 “Shoeless Joe” Jackson Original Photograph by Charles Conlon: $18,000
    • 1957 Topps Johnny Unitas Rookie #138 PSA Mint 9: $144,000
    • 1965 Topps Joe Namath Rookie #122 PSA NM-MT+ 8.5: $78,000
    • 1960 Hemmets Journal Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) Rookie #23 PSA Mint 9: $40,800