Back in the juke box era of music, there were rare, but occasional double-sided 45 rpm records where both the "A" side & "B" side were hits. This is a basketball version of two chart toppers, with both sides as big winners, signed at the time in the early 1970's.
With all due respect to Hall of Famer Dave Cowens, it is "Pistol Pete" Maravich that graces the "A" side of this dual-sided gem, a photo from a basketball preview magazine for the 1972-73 NBA season. The floppy socked Pete, in his suede Pro-Keds sneakers, has signed beautifully in period black ballpoint, right on a sweet spot, the basketball, of course! Pete's death at the young age of 40 in 1988 makes his autograph highly desirable.
Boston Celtics legend "Big Red" Cowens has beautifully inked the "B" side in period blue ballpoint, finding a sweet spot himself so his penmanship is clearly seen. The image perfectly captures the intensity of Cowens, wrestling a rebound away from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar high off the parquet floor in the Boston Garden.
PSA/DNA has certified both autographs and the 8.5" X 11" page is handsomely slabbed for your enjoyment!
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!