THE LARGEST COLLECTION OF BOSTON RED SOX MEMORABILIA FROM BASEBALL TRAILBLAZER AND FORMER RED SOX PRESIDENT LARRY LUCCHINO TO BE OFFERED AT BONHAMS SKINNER
A photograph of Larry Luchino featured in a group of four custom Red Sox coffee table books, estimated at $400 – 600.
Boston – Over 200 lots of sports memorabilia from the historic personal collection of Larry Lucchino (1945-2024), baseball trailblazer and former President and CEO of the Boston Red Sox and caring philanthropist, will be offered online at Bonhams Skinner from November 23 – December 4.
“My brother, Larry, embodied the spirit of generosity. In his honor, The Lucchino Family Foundation was established to continue his legacy of giving. I am proud to say that all proceeds from this auction will benefit The Lucchino Family Foundation, ensuring that his commitment to supporting worthy charities throughout New England lives on,” said the Honorable Frank J. Lucchino.
Recognized as one of the most accomplished executives in Major League Baseball history, Lucchino's illustrious tenure with the Red Sox from 2002 to 2015 included three World Series championships, seven post-season appearances, and the record for consecutive MLB sellouts with 820 games, as well as dramatic enhancements to the legendary Fenway Park over the course of a dozen years.
Alongside Red Sox principal owner, John Henry, and Chairman Tom Werner, and the Boston Red Sox's partners, Lucchino helped establish the Red Sox Foundation, the team's official charity, which has raised and reinvested over $120 million into New England communities through various initiatives and grant programs.
In collaboration with the Jimmy Fund, chaired by Lucchino for the last eight years, the Red Sox Foundation has helped raise over $167 million for cancer treatment and research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
“Larry Lucchino’s lasting impact on the Boston Red Sox and Major League Baseball as a whole is undeniable,” said Robin Starr, General Manager of Bonhams Skinner. “It is incredibly exciting and an honor as a long-time Boston-based auction house to be able to present these important pieces of baseball history.”
2004 Red Sox World Series Commissioner's Trophy Tiffany & Co., Large Format
Lucchino joined the Red Sox in 2002 where he helped engineer a team renaissance leading to the most successful era in Red Sox history. This period ended the team's infamous 86-year championship drought, known as the 'Curse of the Bambino,' with the 2004 World Series victory and followed by World Series Championships in 2007 and 2013.
In addition to the team’s unprecedented success during this period, his most enduring impact, working with noted baseball park architect, Janet Marie Smith, was the massive renovation of Fenway Park costing nearly $300 million and spanning a dozen years of fan friendly renovations. This included the creation of the iconic “Green Monster” seats located above the 37-foot green left field wall, a new Right Field pavilion section, premium dugout seats, and expansion onto Jersey Street during games for fan’s enjoyment and comfort.
Prior to his historic time with the Boston Red Sox, Lucchino was also the President of the Baltimore Orioles from 1988 to 1993, as well as President and a minority owner of the San Diego Padres from 1995 to 2001. During his time with the Orioles, he and Janet Marie Smith led the effort to replace Memorial Stadium with Camden Yards in 1992. This inspired a wave of other MLB teams building idiosyncratic ballparks, often in downtown settings, throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. Camden Yards is seen today as the baseball park which fostered the revitalization of urban areas and placed a premium on the fan experience.
2004 Boston Red Sox World Series Championship Ring Awarded To Larry Lucchino, Jostens, 18K (Side 1)
While his tenure with the Padres was relatively short, Lucchino leveraged an improved team under his direction and a World Series appearance in 1998 to build a similar downtown ballpark, Petco Park, which played a major role in the reshaping of downtown San Diego and a revitalization of inner-city business. Lucchino was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2016 and the San Diego Padres Hall of Fame in 2022.
Lucchino’s final contribution to baseball was the building of a new ballpark for the Worcester Red Sox, known as the “Woo Sox,” viewed as the most successful Triple A franchise in baseball. In collaboration once more with Janet Marie Smith, the location of Polar Park has spurred a revitalization of Worcester, with the Woo Sox leading the International League in attendance for the last three years. As majority owner of the Woo Sox, Lucchino brought a major league drive and vision to Triple A baseball, cementing his legacy as one of baseball’s all-time best executives.
In 2023, in recognition of his dedication and longstanding commitment to striking out cancer, Lucchino, a three-time cancer survivor, received the Boston Red Sox Jimmy Fund Award. Lucchino's philanthropic influence extended far beyond New England, benefiting countless charities across the United States. Giving back was a central focus of Larry Lucchino’s life's work, and this auction provides fans and sports enthusiasts with a unique opportunity to contribute to his lasting legacy of charitable giving, embracing his spirit of continued generosity through The Lucchino Family Foundation.
[L-R] A group of World Series Tiffany & Co. Commissioner Trophies and a group of Lucchino’s championship rings.
The highlight of the collection is a group of valuable items related to Lucchino’s second season with the Red Sox and their curse-breaking 2004 World Series Championship. After winning five titles between 1903 and 1918 to become one of the first dynasties in MLB history, the Red Sox fatefully sold Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees, beginning an infamous 86-year championship drought dubbed the "Curse of the Bambino." The 2004 World Series, a matchup between the Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals, was a four-game sweep, marking the Red Sox' first World Series win since 1918.
Highlights on offer include:
The 2004 Boston Red Sox World Series Championship Ring awarded to Larry Lucchino, estimated at $50,000 – 75,000.
A Red Sox World Series Tiffany & Co. Commissioner Trophy from 2004, estimated at $40,000 – 60,000.
A third base used during the series-clinching fourth game of the 2004 World Series, estimated at $20,000 – 30,000.
2004 Red Sox Fenway Park Championship Banner, estimated at $7,000 – 10,000.
The sale will also present memorabilia from the 2007 and 2013 Red Sox World Series Championships as well as from the renovation of Fenway Park, which Lucchino always called the “Mona Lisa” of baseball parks. This includes:
Red Sox World Series Tiffany & Co. Commissioner Trophies from 2007 (estimate: $25,000 – 35,000) and 2013 (estimate: $30,000 – 50,000).
A third base used in the World Series clinching game from 2007 (estimate: $15,000 – 20,000) as well as 2013 (estimate: $15,000 – 20,000).
A pair of Fenway Park Grandstand Seats which were installed in 1934, estimated at $1,000 – 1,500.
Fenway Park "Gate L" Double Sided Sign, estimated at $1,000 – 1,500.
The collection also features a large selection of additional sports memorabilia such as:
1983 Redskins NFC Championship Ring, $8,000 – 12,000.
1983 Orioles World Championship Ring, estimated at $15,000 – 25,000.
1998 San Diego Padres National League Champions Ring, estimated at $8,000 – 12,000.
A group of four Camden Yards seats (Row LL, Seats 8, 9, 10 And 11), estimated at $2,000 – 3,000.
A 2009-2010 Bruins Team Signed Jersey, estimated at $600 – 800.
Highlights of the collection will be on view in Boston at Bonhams Skinner from December 2 – 4.
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Bonhams is a global network of auction houses, with the largest number of international salerooms, offering the widest range of collecting categories and selling at all price points. Bonhams is recognised for its bespoke service, and a dedication to local market relationships, enhanced by a global platform. With 14 salerooms, Bonhams presents over 1,000 sales annually, across more than 60 specialist categories, including fine art, collectables, luxury, wine & spirits, and collector cars.
Founded in 1793, Bonhams has representatives in more than 30 countries and operates flagship salerooms in London, New York, Paris, Los Angeles, and Hong Kong. In 2022, Bonhams added four international auction houses to its network: Bukowskis, Stockholm; Bruun Rasmussen, Copenhagen; Cornette de Saint Cyr, Paris and Brussels; and Skinner, Massachusetts. The success of Bonhams’ global strategy is a result of recognising the shift in growing intercontinental buying and increased digital engagement. More information HERE
In 2023, Bonhams achieved 14% growth with $1.14 billion in turnover. Recent important auctions and landmark single-owner collections, include the white glove sales of Sir Michael Caine: The Personal Collection, Alain Delon: Sixty Years of Passion; Sir Roger Moore: The Personal Collection; Personal Property of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and The Robert & Jean-Pierre Rousset Collection of Asian Art: A Century of Collecting. Other notable single-owner sales included The Estate of Barbara Walters: American Icon; The Alan and Simone Hartman Collection; The Crown Auction: Props and Costumes and The Claude de Marteau Collection.
Top lots for 2023 include 1967 Ferrari 412P Berlinetta, Sold at Quail Lodge, US for US$30,255,000. Tipu Sultan’s Bedchamber Sword (sold in London for £14m – a world record for both an Islamic and an Indian object); Paul Signac (1863-1935), Sisteron, 1902. Sold for US$8,580,000 (estimate US$4-6 million), and Claude Monet (1840-1926), La Seine près de Giverny, 1888. Sold for US$6,352,500 (estimate US$4-6m), both from the Alan and Simone Hartman Collection; A Gilt Copper Alloy figure of Virupaksha, Central Tibet, Densatil Monastery, Early 15th century. Sold for HK$37.9m (£4,060,326) in Hong Kong. Yoshitomo Nara (born 1959) Three Stars. Sold for HK$36,754,000 (£3,930,914, also in Hong Kong
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