Posted By:
Bruce Dorskindthe 1912 Trophy
Boston Red Sox World Series Champions
October 18, 2008
Madison Square Garden, NYC
About the Auction:
Guernsey's is pleased to be the auction house chosen to represent a unique piece of baseball history, one of very few World Series trophies to remain in private hands. Predating the days when Major League Baseball provided an offical World Series trophy, the 1912 Boston Red Sox team purchased this sterling silver trophy to honor their teammate and manager, Jake Stahl. Remaining in the Stahl family for the better part of a century, and now the property of a collector, the cup will find a new owner October 18, 2008. Bidders have a chance to own an incredible piece of baseball history.
The Story of the 1912 Boston Red Sox World Series Trophy
The World Champion 1912 Boston Red Sox left an indelible mark on the game of baseball, with two National Baseball Hall of Famers, six Boston Red Sox Hall of Famers, and a World Series so monumental that it couldn't be kept to a mere seven games...so they played eight. The team was the first to play on the now hallowed ground of Fenway Park, and they gave the Park a first outing worthy of its legendary status. This beautiful sterling silver trophy, presented to Red Sox player/manager Jake Stahl by his teammates, is a monument to a time when men played for the love of the game and to a franchise whose "Red Sox Nation" still understands what that means.
The first major league baseball game to be played at Fenway Park took place on April 20, 1912, between the Red Sox and the New York Highlanders (who later became the Yankees). The Sox launched their new ballpark with a rousing 7-6 win. As the season progressed, that winning streak continued, with the Sox and their ever-present "Royal Rooters" - led by Boston Mayor (and grandfather to President John F. Kennedy) John "Honey-Fitz" Fitzgerald and local tavern owner and Red Sox fanatic Michael T. "Nuf-Ced" McGreevy - marching towards the American League Championship and the World Series with a regular season record of 105-47. The 1912 roster included National Baseball Hall of Famers Harry Hooper and Tris Speaker, and Boston Red Sox Hall of Famers Bill Carrigan, Larry Gardner, Duffy Lewis and Smokey Joe Wood.