L.C. GREENWOOD AUCTION
Bidders tackle L.C. Greenwood memorabilia at auction
They held an auction Sunday for Steelers great L.C. Greenwood’s estate, but the biggest find came months ago.
Lynda Johnson, whose Moon auction house handled this weekend’s event, was sorting items in a sock drawer at Mr. Greenwood’s Point Breeze home late last year when she came across two pairs of tied-off white socks that were packing some heft.
Loosening the knot, she found two rings inside, one from Super Bowl X the other from Super Bowl XIV, rings that the Greenwood family feared had been lost.
“They were real happy when we called and told them,” Ms. Johnson said.
The family kept the rings, of course, but there were still plenty of items to auction Sunday, including a replica Steelers helmet that’s also a telephone, a Steelers bowling ball, golf paraphernalia from the innumerable charity tournaments Mr. Greenwood played in, posters from his time as a spokesman for Miller Lite beer and 34 L.C. Greenwood bobblehead dolls.
And clothing, lots of clothing, featuring maybe 100 pairs of Mr. Greenwood’s size 14 dress shoes. Rick Taormina of Cranberry scored a pair of his practice cleats for $45.
“He was one of my dad’s favorite’s players,” he said later, adding that “I just might” gift the shoes to his father.
About 100 people attended the event at Johnson Auction Service, although some were there for a second auction from the estate of Raymond Suckling of Sewickley, whose impressive collection of mostly military-theme books included a French military instruction text dated 1627.
The main draw, however, was Mr. Greenwood, the left side anchor on the four-time National Football League-champion Steel Curtain defensive line, who died on Sept. 29, 2013, of kidney failure at age 67.
“I just want to get a piece of L.C. Greenwood. Just grab something of his. It doesn’t matter what it is,” said Michael Strum, 50, on Monaca.
He said he met Mr. Greenwood once years ago at a Verizon
Wireless store opening in Youngstown, Ohio. Mr. Strum walked away from his encounter with the “nice, quiet man” by holding a photo and a signed football.
His mission Sunday was simple: “I just want something I could put in the trophy case next to the picture and football he autographed for me.”
Mr. Strum left with a photo of the four Steel Curtain linemen, signed by everyone except Mr. Greenwood, a Parking Authority hard hat with Mr. Greenwood’s name and a couple of other items.
Others were hoping to find treasure.
“I was really hoping the gold shoes were here,” lamented Angelo DiNardo of Robinson, referring to Mr. Greenwood’s distinctive game-day footwear. “I would have made a serious bid on those.”
Mr.DiNardo did all right, though, snaring an old-style Riddell football helmet for $40 (“The steal of the show,” he declared afterward) as well as the $67 he bid for 12 dozen golf balls, including three dozen Titleist Pro-V balls that retail at about $40 a dozen.
Mike Brown, 38, of Moon stopped by and fretted that the Greenwood items had already been picked through by the family. “There’s not a lot of good stuff,” he said.
But he was high bidder at $175 on a 4-square foot painting of Mr. Greenwood sacking Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach and at $140 on a Tiffany-style lamp.
Clothing sold by the armload — $40 for monogrammed suits, $22.50 for a dozen or so silk shirts. As none of buyers approached Mr. Greenwood’s 6-6, 245pound frame, it wasn’t clear where those clothes were destined.
Mark Giles, Ms. Johnson’s husband and lead auctioneer Sunday, said the buyers typically come from all walks: the flea market enthusiast, the memorabilia hobbyist, straight-up collectors and those looking for something they can handily resell on eBay.
Looking over the racks of clothes, including dozens of unopened polo shirts from various golf outings, he said there was plenty to choose from.
“Ninety percent of these shirts, and even some of the suits, if they were worn once, they were lucky,” he said.