This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/20/2011
Wilmer Fields was a true titan in every sense of the word. His prodigious size, strength, and talent made him one of the Negro League greats. He was a hard-throwing pitcher who could also hit with power.
He was the ace of the Homestead Grays team which won the last Negro National League championship and was named to the East-West All-Star team in 1948. He won the Venezuelan Batting Title in 1951-52, the Venezuelan Triple Crown in 1952-53 and was an unprecedented 8 time MVP in various leagues.
After his baseball career, he worked for the government as a counselor. As president of the Negro League Baseball Players Association, he would routinely lecture at schools, universities, community organizations, and sporting events to promote the legacy of the great Negro Leagues.
Offered here are three Venezuelan League award watches earned by Fields during the 1951-52 season. The three watches are similar Girard-Perregaux models. The back plates are engraved “L.V.B.P. CHAMPION BATE 51-52”, “L.V.B.P. CHAMPION EMPUDADOR 51-52” and “L.V.B.P. CHAMPION ANATADOR 51-52” respectively. The first inscription represents the league’s batting title. That particular watch has a crack in the glass but remains in working order. Only one of the other two is in working order. These watches were consigned directly from the estate of Wilmer Fields.