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As it turns out, not all of Willie Mays’ most prized belongings will forever be hidden inside homes or safe deposit boxes in the wake of the weekend auction of his museum-worthy possessions. Some will be on display for public consumption.
Including certain big-money items.
Ron Firman, who won two dozen items of Mays’ cherished memorabilia, including his 1954 MVP award and 1954 World Series ring, plans to showcase some publicly, preferably at or around Oracle Park.
It’s good news for the Giants and the Say Hey Foundation, Mays’ beloved nonprofit, which is also working on publicly displaying artifacts. The foundation will benefit from 100% of auction proceeds, and David Hunt of Hunt Auctions said the event generated more than $5 million.
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Another Mays auction is in the works, Hunt said, and could come in January, though not approaching the size of this one.
One of the artifacts claimed by Firman, a Miami-based commercial real estate investor and avid collector, is Mays’ diploma from Fairfield Industrial High School in Alabama. The diploma certifies that the teenage Mays completed courses in “cleaning, dyeing, pressing,” one of the assigned professions for Black students at the time.
The diploma is dated May 31, 1950. Three weeks later, Mays signed with the New York Giants and went on to make history as one of the greatest baseball players ever.
“This meant a lot to a lot of people and meant a lot to me,” Firman told The Standard. “To think that this individual raised in the Great Depression through segregation became such a success story and American icon, he truly lived the American dream.
“This isn’t about me. This is about Willie Mays.”
The auction house estimated the diploma’s value at $1,500 to $3,000, but the bidding got hot and heavy before Firman snagged it for $18,000. Beyond the winning bid, Hunt paid a 17.5% buyer’s premium, for a total of $21,500.
Firman’s winning bids for the 1954 MVP award and World Series ring were each $390,000. With the additional 17.5%, they amounted to $458,250 apiece.
Firman, who grew up in Rye, New York, and was introduced to baseball in the 1973 World Series that featured Mays’ New York Mets, also obtained Mays’ 1954 Silver Bat Award for winning the batting crown ($246,750 with the premium), 1962 home run champion award, 1968 All-Star Game MVP award, four Gold Glove Awards, rings, photos, and other items.
He said he would also display Mays memorabilia he previously acquired, including the 500th home run ball. His aim is to keep a significant amount of the collection together “so that everyone would be able to enjoy viewing it in a museum for years to come.”
Or at a ballpark near you.
“We think it’s really special that Mr. Firman wants to share the items he purchased with Giants fans and keep them in San Francisco,” team spokesperson Shana Daum said. “We look forward to having discussions with him to see just how we can do that.”
Firman did not come away with Mays’ Presidential Medal of Freedom, which President Barack Obama presented to the Say Hey Kid at a 2015 White House ceremony. It sold for $55,000 plus the percentage, at the low end of Hunt’s estimate of $50,000 to $100,000.
Several folks close to Mays weren’t pleased that this item was included in the auction. Among them was Mays’ son Michael, who had preferred that the medal and certain other artifacts be held back and made available for public viewing.
“It touched me that Michael Mays expressed sadness with seeing the collectibles break up, and I hope this will make him feel a lot better,” Firman said of the items he landed.
“I’m thrilled. I couldn’t be more grateful,” Mays responded. “Somebody cares about the next generation. Man, that’s awesome. If it’s stuff kids can touch and see, that’s so big, I can’t even tell you.”
Jeff Bleich, a Say Hey board member and Mays’ executor, said the foundation hopes to play a role in publicly displaying memorabilia, including some that didn’t make it to auction. The foundation’s new executive director, Jeff Idelson, the former Hall of Fame president, “knows more about how to display professional baseball memorabilia than anyone else on the planet,” Bleich said.
“We’re still talking to a number of groups, the Giants and others, about the best way to display these. We’re pretty confident that wherever we display them and when we display them, it will be done in high professional standards, which is what Willie would’ve wanted.”
Some of the foundation’s donors (including directors) personally won bids on artifacts to lend back for display. Daum said the Giants also landed items to add to the team’s collection — primarily awards and photos that reflect Mays’ career from the minors to the big leagues, including All-Star appearances.
“We’re really grateful for all the support of Giants fans and Willie’s fans in particular who came out to the auction and supported Willie’s dream and the Say Hey Foundation,” Bleich said. “It was a spectacular success. The outpouring of support was a tribute to Willie and really gratifying.”
Bleich said he hopes others who won memorabilia will consider lending it to the foundation for display.