Clemente memorabilia to be auctioned
Sale set for All-Star week in Miami
At PNC Park Friday, Roberto Clemente Jr. held up a baseball that featured his father’s name. That’s a rarity in the memorabilia field, he said, since Pirates fans tend to hold on to anything with Roberto Clemente’s signature.
“I remember, with this ball, playing in the house,” Clemente Jr. said. “You know kids.”
The signed baseball and more Clemente items and memorabilia will be auctioned off at All-Star FanFest during Major League Baseball’s All-Star week in Miami in July. The Clemente family and Hunt Auctions made the announcement Friday.
The auction will take place at the Miami Beach Convention Center, with the collection of Clemente’s items up for grabs July 11. Tickets to All-Star Fanfest, sold on a timedentry basis, are $ 35 for adults and $30 for children 12 and under.
Items up for bid include Clemente’s 1960 and 1971 World Series rings, nine of his 12 Gold Glove Awards, his 1960 World Series home uniform and Hall of Fame induction plaque.
Clemente Jr. said the family kept many of the items that held sentimental value but wanted to share pieces of his legacy with people who still support him.
Fans of his father have approached the family over the years saying they’ve lost Clemente baseball cards or items from years past, or they’re searching for memorabilia and can’t find any.
“So many thousands of people want to have a piece of him, and I think it’s time to share it,” Clemente Jr. said. “We’re happy to do it.”
Clemente, a right fielder, played 18 years with the Pirates.
Among his many accomplishments, he amassed 3,000 hits, 15 National League All-Star selections and the 1971 World Series MVP award.
Clemente died in 1972 when his plane traveling to assist earthquake victims in Nicaragua crashed in the Atlantic Ocean. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame the following year.
Holding the auction in Miami puts it closer to Clemente’s home country of Puerto Rico. In a statement, Clemente’s wife, Vera, said experiences in Miami made the city an ideal location.
“I could not envision a more appropriate venue to share some of our family’s memorabilia than Major League Baseball All-Star Week in Miami, Fla.,” Vera Clemente said. “My husband participated in 15 Midsummer Classic games and enjoyed many fond memories during those games. He always appreciated his many fans in the various host cities throughout the years.”