Clemente collection makes way through Fort Myers on way to sale at MLB Fan Fest in Miami
Craig Handel
For most of his career, Roberto Clemente began his baseball seasons at Fort Myers’ Terry Park, showing off his talents in spring training games yet showing humility in calling bat boys by their first name and playing catch with other youths.
“If there were 1,000 kids there to get his autograph, he would sign every one of them,” Fort Myers resident Frank Pigott told The News-Press’ David Dorsey in a 2014 story.
Although his life ended tragically, Clemente’s legacy will be brought alive again with some of his finest memorabilia being sold on today at an auction as part of the 2017 All-Star Fanfest in Miami. The Midsummer Classic will be played tonight. The Clemente Collection includes World Series rings, various awards, the 1971 Dodge Charger he won as Series MVP and 1960 World Series home uniform. That last item is expected to fetch from $250,000 to $500,000, according to David Hunt, president of Hunt Auctions.
There also is a push being made to have Clemente's No. 21 retired.
The Roberto Clemente Museum, in partnership with Pittsburgh-based advertising agency MARC USA, has launched a national grassroots petition campaign to retire Clemente's number across Major League Baseball.
Roberto Clemente wore that number for his 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, from 1955 until his death on New Year’s Eve 1972 in a plane crash on a mission to bring supplies to Nicaraguan earthquake victims.
Clemente batted over .300 for 13 seasons, had 3,000 career hits and earned 12 trips to the All-Star game and won four Gold Gloves. He also worked tirelessly to get recognition for Latin American players and help children through sports programs.
He was the first Latin American player inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame. He posthumously received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and Major League Baseball also created an annual award in his name.
Local influence
Hunt brought some of his Clemente collection through Fort Myers a couple of weeks ago.
Now in his 25th year, Hunt has built a business where several million dollars of sports artifacts have been auctioned.
Hunt Auctions has been the official auctioneers of the MLB All-Star FanFest for the past 13 years. It also has been official auctioneers of the Super Bowl since 2009, Negro League Baseball Museum since 2004 and National Baseball Hall of Fame since 1997. It also has represented dozens of high-profile athletes such as Ted Williams, Walter Johnson, Joe DiMaggio, Whitey Ford, Warren Spahn, Johnny Bench and bowler Willie Mosconi.
“Roberto Clemente is one of those players that, even though he played more than 40 years ago, hard-core fans remember,” Hunt said. “He’s more popular than current athletes now.”
Clemente worked out here in the spring from 1955-68. He died at age 38 on Dec. 31, 1972.
In Fort Myers, Clemente Park on Henderson Avenue is named in honor of him.
The hidden history of Roberto Clemente
When Hunt and his staff arrive in Miami in a couple of weeks for free appraisals of fans’ sports memorabilia, he admits they’ll be like kids at Christmas, wondering what is under the tree.
“We’ve never had an event in Florida,” Hunt said. “While Major League Baseball only had teams here recently, spring training has been here for decades. I bet there will be a lot of great artifacts liked cracked bats or balls signed by players. There also are a lot of Florida retirees and transplants so who knows what they may have brought down with them.
“Our curiosity is piqued.”
Before its live auction on July 10-11, there will be free appraisals on fans' sports memorabilia from July 7-July 11.
Hunt hopes to have a pleasant surprise like he did 10 years ago in San Francisco.
“We had a gentleman contact us and said he had a Lou Gehrig jersey,” Hunt said. “So many times, items like that are not real. But we set up an appointment.
“He brought the uniform out of a zip-lock bag. Usually I can tell if something is real or not and when I saw it, I had a pretty good idea it was. When we dug in and did our research, we found out it was 100 percent authentic.”
Hunt found out the gentleman’s great uncle lived in the New Jersey-New York area and ran a church league baseball team. The minor and major league teams often would pass on old uniforms to the church league.
While the gentleman told him his uncle passed out jerseys of other Yankee legends, he kept the one of Gehrig.
“It was sold for over $400,000,” Hunt said.
Who: Major League Baseball All-star Fan Fest
What: 13th annual live baseball auction and appraisal fair
Where: Miami Beach Convention Center
When: July 7-11
Notable: Free appraisals on fans' sports memorabilia from July 7-July 11; a live auction from July 10-11 including a 1952 Mickey Mantle #310 (PSA 8 NM-MT) Topps Baseball Card; a 1931 Babe Ruth autographed baseball attributed to his 571st Home Run; and a Roberto Clemente 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates World Series home uniform
Clemente Collection items offered in July 11 auction
• NL silver batting championship bats in 1964 and 1967
• 1971 World Series ring
• 1960 World Series ring
• 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates World Series home uniform
• Gold Glove awards in 1961-62, 64-66, 68-70, 1972
• World Series MPV award, 1971
• 1966 model road jersey
• Hall of Fame induction plaque
• 1971 limited edition Dodger Charger for being World Series MVP
• 1972 Pittsburgh Pirates home uniform