Red Sox 1912 World Series Trophy to be Auctioned Next Week

A piece of Red Sox history will be auctioned off to the highest bidder next week when the Boston Red Sox  1912 World Series trophy hits the auction block on August 2 at Camden Yards in Baltimore during a national sports collectors’ convention, says the Associate Press.

The trophy was originally presented to team manager Jake Stahl.

Etched on the back of the trophy are the names of the 1912 team members, and the front reads: “Presented to J. Garland Stahl By Members of Boston American Baseball Co. 1912.”

Stahl was a player and manager for the 1912 Red Sox team.  The year 1912 was his last year as a regular player, according to Baseball-Reference.com

The trophy had been in the Garland-Stahl family until it was aquired by its current owner, Robert W. Fraser, an avid Red Sox fan.

Fraser said he decided to sell it after being contacted by several companies that wanted to auction it off for the 100th anniversary of the team’s World Series win and the opening of Fenway Park.  

"I love the Red Sox," Fraser told the Associated Press. "I always go for the underdog."

A replica of the trophy is on display at Fenway Park.

Fraser said there were two trophies made after the Red Sox beat the New York Giants to win the World Series in 1912. The other trophy was given to James McAleer, then a co-owner of the team. He said no one knows what happened to that trophy.

Heritage Auctions, based in Dallas, expects the Jake Stahl trophy to fetch more than $300,000, said Chris Ivy, director of sports for the auction house.

Online bidding for “Lot 80093” was up to $90,000 at noon on Wednesday.  Live bidding will take place at Camden Yards on August 2.

Through a series of events, Fraser and his wife, Lisa Koch-Fraser, acquired the trophy in 2007; and this is not the first time he has placed it on the auction block.

Guernsey’s auction house had scheduled an auction to take place in July 2008 at Fenway Park at a game between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees, but it never took place. 

The advertisement read:

"This beautiful and historic sports artifact, crafted by Frank W. Smith Silversmiths of Gardner, Massachusetts, stands 11 inches tall (14 1/8" when seated on its custom-made stand) and is 9" wide, including the handles. It comes atop a period round wooden stand with black lacquer finish. The trophy is also accompanied by the original photograph by Carl Horner, taken on the first base line of Fenway Park just before the victory parade."

And further said:

"This beautiful and historic sports artifact, crafted by Frank W. Smith Silversmiths of Gardner, Massachusetts, stands 11 inches tall (14 1/8" when seated on its custom-made stand) and is 9" wide, including the handles. It comes atop a period round wooden stand with black lacquer finish. The trophy is also accompanied by the original photograph by Carl Horner, taken on the first base line of Fenway Park just before the victory parade.

But the sale was cancelled after Peter Nash – a former rap artist (“Prime Minister Pete Nice” with the group 3rd Bass) turned sports memorabilia collector – claimed he was partial owner of the trophy.

Nash and Fraser had a long-standing and storied relationship, according to court documents filed by Fraser in October 2010.  

Though Fraser told the Associated Press this week that he and his wife paid $74,000 for the trophy, court documents the Frasers paid $55,000 to Bruce Garland, a New Jersey collector and relative of its original recipient, J. Garland Stahl, also known as “Jake Stahl."

Through a series of events, Nash owed Fraser a large sum of money, and after a lengthy legal battle against Peter Nash, Roxanne Nash, and Cooperstown Monument Co. (owned by Nash), the Frasers were awarded full rights to the trophy by the New Jersey Superior Court. 

Question of the Day: Do you think the Boston Red Sox 1912 World Series trophy is worth $300,000?  Click here, and take our poll. 

Read More About the 1912 Season

According to www.baseball-reference.com, the 1912 Boston Red Sox team was one of the best major league teams ever, winning 105 games and losing only 47. It is the most wins by a Red Sox team in a season. It was the first season in which the Sox played at Fenway Park.

The team played at least .600 ball in every month and by June 10th was in first place to stay. In league match-ups, they beat every team except the Cleveland Naps, whom they tied 11-11. The Red Sox ended up winning the pennant by 14 games over the Washington Senators.

The team was led by the magnificent effort of Tris Speaker, who hit .383, had an on-base percentage of .464 (which led the league) and a slugging percentage of .567. Speaker led the league with 53 doubles, at the time an American League record which would last until 1923 when broken by Speaker himself. He led the league in home runs with 10 and his 52 stolen bases were tops on the team.

The second best batter, in BA and OBP and SLG, was second baseman Larry Gardner, who also led the team in triples. RF Harry Hooper was second on the team behind Speaker in runs scored, while LF Duffy Lewis led the team with 109 RBI.

The most notable back-up was Olaf Henriksen, who posted a line of .321/.457/.411 and had approximately the same performance in 1911 and 1913.

The pitchers were led by Smoky Joe Wood with a record of 34-5. Buck O'Brien and Hugh Bedient both won 20 games while Charley Hall went 15-8 and Ray Collins was 13-8. Eddie Cicotte, appearing in 9 games, went 1-3.

Player-manager Jake Stahl hit .301 at first base and managed the team to his only pennant and World Series win in his four-year major league managing career. None of his other three teams finished above .500. The year was also Stahl's last as a regular player.