I am not a big memorabilia collector, but know many are. Coming on the heels of the recent Bob Gibson auctions, a 60-plus item collection from the late Curt Flood will be going on the block on November 14.
The items to be sold include his 1964 World Series Ring (pre-auction estimate: $15,000-$20,000), his 1963 Gold Glove Award ($5,000-$7,000), a Flood-worn Cardinals cap ($750-$1,000), several gloves ($750-$1,000), multiple Old Timers’ Day uniforms ($500-$750) and his signed 1967 contract ($750-$1,000).
A number of signed baseballs are in the collection, including ones inscribed to Flood by historical figures such as Rosa Parks ($1,000-$1,500), Muhammad Ali ($500-$750) and Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and Joe DiMaggio ($500-$750). Of course, there are multiple Flood-signed balls, too ($300-$400).
There are also the mundane, such as Flood’s wallet and its contents, including his AARP card ($300-$400), and the beautiful. The former outfielder was an accomplished artist, with one of the items for sale an exquisite oil canvas he painted of teammate Gibson ($3,000-$4,000).
The memorabilia is being brought forward by Flood’s widow, Judy Pace Flood, an actress, and is being auctioned by a company called Hunt Auctions at the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory in Louisville, Kentucky.
Flood passed away far too soon at the age of 59 on January 20, 1997 due to throat cancer. Though he may be most known for his courageous fight to help to put an end to the reserve clause and open the doors to free agency, Flood was also a fine player. He was a three-time All-Star, won seven consecutive Gold Gloves and was a key part of the championship clubs in 1964, 1967 and 1968. At Scout.com, we ranked Flood the 19th-greatest Cardinals player of all time.
For those who want to read about Flood’s life, I highly recommend his biography, A Well-Paid Slave: Curt Flood’s Fight for Free Agency in Professional Sports, written by Brad Snyder.
I don’t collect memorabilia at all so I am pretty clueless on the mkt but those prices seem high for a guy who was only a fringe star (though a very good player).
Don’t know about market prices either, but perhaps Flood items are more desirable due to the off-field issues he faced.
they probably give him a little more name recognition. It could make the contract he signed more valuable though the 1969 one (his last before taking a stand) wold seem to benefit most from this.
Lets hope the estimates are exceeded and the auction is a great success. A baseball to Flood from Rosa Parks, wow, that should land in the Smithsonian.