This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/7/2014
The sport of football has brought gridiron fans several levels of the professional game. Three such parts to the professional football puzzle can be found in this lot as three different footballs representing three different (some short-lived) leagues are evident. The first football is a Spalding, cushion controlled “American Football League” ball, which includes then-Commissioner Joe Foss’s branded stamped, shows some wear and tear, possibly in a game although there is no way to verify. The second football is an Official Wilson “USFL” (Chet Simmons Commissioner) branded ball, while the third is an Official “World League” silver-stamped football that includes former league President Tex Schramm’s branded stamp on it. The trio of balls truly represents a walk down memory lane as it pertains to entities outside of the NFL that tried to compete for fair market share.
Includes a Letter of Provenance from collector Robert Zweigle.
The Robert Zweigle collection represents 40 years of assembling sports memorabilia items from college and professional football, professional golf and NCAA basketball. Bob Zweigle was a major supplier of promotional products to the NFL who personally attended 38 Super Bowls, working closely with NFL personnel and establishing unique connections that helped grow his collection. He designed/produced Super Bowl press pins from XXV through XXXIX (the final year the NFL produced its own pins). He also designed/produced the Player Participation Trophy and Player of the Game Trophy for the Pro Bowl, as well as the Arena Bowl Championship Trophy. He made it a personal quest to obtain in-person autographs on important memorabilia items at many sporting events wherein he had rare and unusual access.