Anyone who calls themselves a true sports fan owns something from their favorite teams. Growing up in the Boston area my entire life and coming from a sports oriented family, it’s a no brainer that I am a diehard Boston sports fan and I have collected my fair share of related memorabilia. There have been countless moments in Boston sports history that have been recorded, many of which are now available in the form of memorabilia and pictures. Although I don’t own any of them, I wanted to try to put down some of the more meaningful items to me. The reality is this list could be 100 items long and still not be exhaustive. Not all of these are going to be the most valuable or the most iconic, rather simply the items that mean the most to me.
1). Bobby Orr Boston Bruins game worn Jersey
An interesting note about Bobby Orr autographs is that he has very strong feelings against people profiting from his likeness. That being said, in the majority of his autographs that he gives now, he asks for the persons name and personalizes it, seemingly to make it less appealing to someone just looking to acquire his autograph, and effectively making it more difficult to resell. Bobby Orr was an incredible Bruins player from 1966-1975, and possibly one of the best to ever wear the Black and Gold. One of his most recognizable images is the black and white photograph of him flying through the air after scoring the Stanley Cup winning goal in 1970
An interesting note about Bobby Orr autographs is that he has very strong feelings against people profiting from his likeness. That being said, in the majority of his autographs that he gives now, he asks for the persons name and personalizes it, seemingly to make it less appealing to someone just looking to acquire his autograph, and effectively making it more difficult to resell. Bobby Orr was an incredible Bruins player from 1966-1975, and possibly one of the best to ever wear the Black and Gold. One of his most recognizable images is the black and white photograph of him flying through the air after scoring the Stanley Cup winning goal in 1970
2). Larry Bird, Bill Russell and Paul Pierce autographed jersey card
This card has three of my favorite players to ever dawn a Celtics uniform on it. As it falls on the scale of historic and valuable memorabilia, it doesn’t rank very high relative to some other items on this list. That being said, I feel it encapsulates three major players all in one place, and even more than that it has a piece of their game worn jerseys and their autographs all in the same card. Recent years has shown a decrease in popularity of sports cards as collectibles, some argue a result of the countless variations of each card, leading to collector’s exhaustion. Regardless, this is a really cool item if you ask me!
This card has three of my favorite players to ever dawn a Celtics uniform on it. As it falls on the scale of historic and valuable memorabilia, it doesn’t rank very high relative to some other items on this list. That being said, I feel it encapsulates three major players all in one place, and even more than that it has a piece of their game worn jerseys and their autographs all in the same card. Recent years has shown a decrease in popularity of sports cards as collectibles, some argue a result of the countless variations of each card, leading to collector’s exhaustion. Regardless, this is a really cool item if you ask me!
3). Ted Williams signed photo of his final at bat 1960
Ted Williams is probably the greatest Red Sox player ever. Just unbelievable statistics throughout his career and this signed image is recognizable to any long time Red Sox fan. This photo shows Williams in his final at bat, on September 28th, 1960 in which he fittingly hit a home run to finish off his 21-year career.
Ted Williams is probably the greatest Red Sox player ever. Just unbelievable statistics throughout his career and this signed image is recognizable to any long time Red Sox fan. This photo shows Williams in his final at bat, on September 28th, 1960 in which he fittingly hit a home run to finish off his 21-year career.
4). Adam Vinatieri gaming winning kick from the Raiders snow game in 2001
This moment is one that I will never forget. In the snow, down by three points, Adam Vinatieri defies the odds and hits a 45-yard kick to send the game into overtime with the Raiders. In overtime Vinatieri hit another 23 yarder, pictured here, to win the game, ultimately sending the Patriots on to win their first Super Bowl. I recall watching this game back in 2001 and remember telling my brother that if he makes the kick, I would run outside and do snow angels. Loni Paxton handled it for me on the field after Vinatieri hit the game winning kick, but I will still never forget that performance.
This moment is one that I will never forget. In the snow, down by three points, Adam Vinatieri defies the odds and hits a 45-yard kick to send the game into overtime with the Raiders. In overtime Vinatieri hit another 23 yarder, pictured here, to win the game, ultimately sending the Patriots on to win their first Super Bowl. I recall watching this game back in 2001 and remember telling my brother that if he makes the kick, I would run outside and do snow angels. Loni Paxton handled it for me on the field after Vinatieri hit the game winning kick, but I will still never forget that performance.
5). Signed copy of Sports Illustrated cover after Boston Marathon Bombing
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention this event due to its relevance to Boston sports history. The Boston Marathon is as much Boston sports as any other team we have here so I felt it fitting to cap this list off with a signed copy the Sports Illustrated edition that came out after the bombing. Bill Iffrig is the runner in the photo and he is the person who autographed the copy. There is no debating that the value of this in comparison to some of the other items on this list is less tangible, however, what this event meant and continues to mean to the city of Boston is incomparable.
This article was written by Dan Sullivan (Twitter: @gemrdan), the Sports Community Curator for Gemr. Gemr is based out of Portsmouth, NH and is the online community for collectors to digitally showcase their collectibles, connect with like-minded people, and participate in a social marketplace. Come join the fun at www.gemr.com and share your Boston sports collectibles. Dan can be contacted directly at dan{at}gemr.com.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention this event due to its relevance to Boston sports history. The Boston Marathon is as much Boston sports as any other team we have here so I felt it fitting to cap this list off with a signed copy the Sports Illustrated edition that came out after the bombing. Bill Iffrig is the runner in the photo and he is the person who autographed the copy. There is no debating that the value of this in comparison to some of the other items on this list is less tangible, however, what this event meant and continues to mean to the city of Boston is incomparable.
This article was written by Dan Sullivan (Twitter: @gemrdan), the Sports Community Curator for Gemr. Gemr is based out of Portsmouth, NH and is the online community for collectors to digitally showcase their collectibles, connect with like-minded people, and participate in a social marketplace. Come join the fun at www.gemr.com and share your Boston sports collectibles. Dan can be contacted directly at dan{at}gemr.com.
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