Spring Premier Auction 2013

This was Rollie Fingers' second consecutive Rolaids Relief Man Award, and if the award had been started a few years earlier (the inaugural award was in 1976), say 1972 for example, it's not inconceivable that the first half dozen or so of the coveted fireman's helmets could have had his name on them. Certainly 1972-75 might have been a lock, given his standout numbers averaging almost 70 appearances and more than 20 saves each year as the Oakland A's dynasty swirled and swaggered through the baseball universe, flaming out after 1976 as the opening wave of free agency helped propel many of the team's great stars - Fingers, Catfish Hunter, Reggie Jackson, et al., - toward greener pastures, quite literally it seems, considering the greenbacks involved. Rollie Fingers was awarded his second of four Rolaids Relief Man Awards in 1978 after somehow managing to improve upon his incredible first season with the Padres in a brand-new league. He lopped another half of a run off his ERA and upped his save total to a startling 37 (a remarkable total in mid-1970's MLB). In balloting that could just have easily been by acclamation, he was presented with the 21-inch high trophy with a silver fireman's helmet supported by a silver column on a 10-inch high wooden base. A gold emblem at the front of the helmet features the iconic Major League Baseball red, white and blue logo, along with the words "Rolaids Relief Man Award" and "Major League Baseball." A 4-by-6-inch gold nameplate on the base notes Fingers' name, National League, San Diego Padres and 1978. The trophy is in superb condition, betraying only the tiniest specks of scuffing or the occasional scratch along the bottom of the wooden base or the 10-inch main wood support, and is in otherwise in problem-free and virtually as issued condition. Fingers has added his attractive and distinctive black Sharpie autograph on the back wooden panel of the base. Comes with a Letter of Authenticity from Rollie Fingers.

Pre-certified by PSA/DNA.