Even in the twilight of his career, Willie Mays still had the talent and charisma to capture the hearts of baseball fans. That Mays magnetism is perfectly displayed here on this May 22, 1972 SPORTS ILLUSTRATED cover, inked AT THE TIME in bold black ballpoint and now PSA/DNA certified.
Fresh to the hobby, the colors of the SI cover and quality of the vintage signature really pop in this special image. In his return to New York Mays helped get the Mets to the 1973 World Series before wrapping up his storied career.
Provenance: As documented in the story The Great Autograph Hunt from the February 5, 1974 Dayton (Ohio) Journal Herald, Jack Zimmerman and his grade school buddies Tim Gallagher and Vince Martin started collecting autographs of athletes through the mail, at games and at team hotels, primarily in the Cincinnati and Dayton areas. The boys were relentless in their pursuit of baseball, basketball and football players, obtaining the stars and "commons" of the day, plus "old timers" and "legends" that were coaches, broadcasters or responsive through the mail. Jack was locked in on collecting from about 1968 through 1975, until pursuit of his own basketball career took priority. Jack became an All-State high school player, then had a Hall of Fame career hooping at the University of Dayton, followed by several seasons as an overseas pro, including suiting up for the prestigious Maccabi Tel Aviv club. Jack's extensive collection was essentially put in a time capsule in 1976 and has literally followed him all over the world. We are proud to present selected treasures from Jack's collection in our Auction, fresh to the hobby and seeing the light of day for the first time in over 45 years!