This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 12/4/2008.
Yankees HOF pitcher Whitey Ford was called “The Chairman of the Board” for good reason. For more than a decade he was the star pitcher of a team that operated with corporate efficiency, and his intelligence and confidence were on display whenever he was on the mound. In contrast to pitchers who dominated hitters with overpowering physical abilities, the 5’10” lefthander controlled games with his mastery of the mental aspects of pitching and pinpoint control. His most eye-catching statistics are his consistently low ERAs and high winning percentages. In 11 of 16 seasons he was under a 3.00 ERA, and his worst was 3.24. His .690 winning percentage ranks first among modern pitchers with 200 or more wins. Among 14 other uniform numbers, in Ford’s honor the Yankees have retired his number “16.” Yankee retired numbers were memorialized in Yankee Stadium’s monument park in the form of plaques that hung on the wall just below the left center field fence. They rested in front of the huge monuments of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Miller Huggins, and more than a few home runs have ricocheted off of them. These are the Whitey Ford originals (all the originals were removed and replaced with replicas when the Stadium was renovated). In a 28” x 32” frame is a circular, mounted metal emblem of Ford’s number “16,” signed in blue ink “Whitey Ford #16,” signature grades an 8 to 9. In an 18” x 24” frame is the accompanying metal rectangular plaque inscribed with Ford’s accomplishments, signed in silver ink “Whitey Ford #16,” signature grades a 9. Both appear at least EXMT with some weathering. Accompanied by a LOA from JSA.