Sport Document
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Sport Sport II Origins of sports Olympic Games Babe Ruth Basketball Autograph
See also : Sport Sport II Origins of sports Olympic Games Babe Ruth Basketball Autograph
1857 The Laws of Base Ball
2016 SOLD for $ 3.26M by SCP
They like playing ball in New York and Brooklyn. Teams are built. Some clubs are created. The nineteenth century saw the rapid development of transport. Soon the groups of players will make longer trips to play their matches.
The spirit of competition requires fixed rules that will identify champions who will defend their title in the following season. In England, football has a similar story at the same period.
The activist of the standardization of base ball, which will later become the baseball, is the New York Knickerbockers Base Ball Club established in 1845 and named after the uniforms of the firefighters who lent to them their playing field.
The Knickerbockers were not the best in sport but they had the merit of endeavoring to impose their rules. They were also one of the two teams that played the first official match in 1846 and the first base ball club to use a distinctive uniform in 1849.
In 1857 in New York, the first congress of the National Association of Base Ball Players establishes the first regulatory body and freezes the rules that will remain virtually unchanged for ever, ending the initiatives of the Knickerbockers.
A set of three manuscripts that were almost unnoticed in an auction in 1999 gives a new vision on the fundamental and even unique role of the Knickerbockers in defining the final baseball laws.
In 1857 the President of the Knickerbockers is Doc Adams who had been a player in the 1846 pioneering game. The three documents are the first autograph draft written by Adams in 1856 (the last page is missing), an iteration annotated by him before the congress and the final laws submitted to Congress and approved.
These documents were sold together as lot 1 for $ 3.26M by SCP on April 23, 2016. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The "Laws of Base Ball" (a set of handwritten 1857 manuscript documents outlining foundational rules for the game) was sold by SCP Auctions in their 2016 Spring Premier online auction, closing on April 23, 2016 (results finalized early Sunday, April 24).
This 23-page (or multi-document set: drafts and versions) collection, often called baseball's "Magna Carta" or "birth certificate," was drafted primarily by Daniel Lucius "Doc" Adams (president of the New York Knickerbocker Base Ball Club) for the first Base Ball Convention in New York City (January–February 1857). It standardized rules amid growing clubs and inconsistencies from earlier versions (e.g., the 1845 Knickerbocker Rules).
Auction Details
The documents include multiple versions:
Legacy
The 1857 convention (led by Adams) marked a pivotal "great leap forward," standardizing dimensions and play that remain core to modern baseball (90-foot bases, nine innings, nine players unchanged since the 19th century). It elevated the game beyond New York variants, enabling national spread and professionalization.
The documents reframed baseball's origins: Adams (a doctor, former Connecticut senator, and Knickerbocker leader who invented the shortstop and oversaw equipment) is now seen as a primary founder, challenging the long-held (but debated) credit to Alexander Cartwright (whose Hall of Fame plaque remains unchanged). Historians like John Thorn call it the "Dead Sea Scrolls of Baseball," dating the modern game's true beginnings to 1857 rather than 1845.
As of recent reports (around 2026), the documents were heading to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown (donated or placed by the 2016 buyer, identified in some sources as a collector named Truitt), preserving them for public/historical access.
This sale highlighted the skyrocketing value of foundational sports artifacts, drawing parallels to other "rule" documents like Naismith's basketball rules.
The spirit of competition requires fixed rules that will identify champions who will defend their title in the following season. In England, football has a similar story at the same period.
The activist of the standardization of base ball, which will later become the baseball, is the New York Knickerbockers Base Ball Club established in 1845 and named after the uniforms of the firefighters who lent to them their playing field.
The Knickerbockers were not the best in sport but they had the merit of endeavoring to impose their rules. They were also one of the two teams that played the first official match in 1846 and the first base ball club to use a distinctive uniform in 1849.
In 1857 in New York, the first congress of the National Association of Base Ball Players establishes the first regulatory body and freezes the rules that will remain virtually unchanged for ever, ending the initiatives of the Knickerbockers.
A set of three manuscripts that were almost unnoticed in an auction in 1999 gives a new vision on the fundamental and even unique role of the Knickerbockers in defining the final baseball laws.
In 1857 the President of the Knickerbockers is Doc Adams who had been a player in the 1846 pioneering game. The three documents are the first autograph draft written by Adams in 1856 (the last page is missing), an iteration annotated by him before the congress and the final laws submitted to Congress and approved.
These documents were sold together as lot 1 for $ 3.26M by SCP on April 23, 2016. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The "Laws of Base Ball" (a set of handwritten 1857 manuscript documents outlining foundational rules for the game) was sold by SCP Auctions in their 2016 Spring Premier online auction, closing on April 23, 2016 (results finalized early Sunday, April 24).
This 23-page (or multi-document set: drafts and versions) collection, often called baseball's "Magna Carta" or "birth certificate," was drafted primarily by Daniel Lucius "Doc" Adams (president of the New York Knickerbocker Base Ball Club) for the first Base Ball Convention in New York City (January–February 1857). It standardized rules amid growing clubs and inconsistencies from earlier versions (e.g., the 1845 Knickerbocker Rules).
Auction Details
- Auction House: SCP Auctions (Laguna Niguel, California; online bidding from April 6–23, 2016).
- Sale Result: Sold for $3,263,246 (including buyer's premium; record for any baseball document and third-highest for sports memorabilia overall at the time, behind items like a Babe Ruth jersey and James Naismith's basketball rules).
- Pre-Auction Estimate: Around $1 million+ (far exceeded).
- Buyer: Anonymous private collector (identity not publicly revealed).
- Previous History: Previously sold in 1999 at Sotheby's for $12,650 (with minimal description and unknown authorship); rediscovered/verified in the lead-up to 2016, with authorship attributed to Adams via expert analysis (including MLB historian John Thorn).
- Context: Part of a major sale including the Don Drysdale estate and other items (total sale ~$7.2 million in some reports).
The documents include multiple versions:
- Adams' personal draft ("Laws 1").
- Scripted versions by William Henry Grenelle (a Knickerbocker director) with possible Adams edits ("Rules for Match Games of Base Ball" and "Laws 2").
- Bases form a square with sides of 90 feet (30 yards from home to second, etc.; a major fix from variable "paces").
- Pitcher's distance: 45 feet (neither foot advancing the line).
- Nine players per side.
- Games last nine innings (debated; convention initially set seven, later influenced to nine).
- Ball specifications: Weight 6–10 ounces (not less than 6, not more than 10), covered in leather with India rubber yarn.
- Bat limits and player conduct (e.g., no betting, no "revolving" mid-season player switches).
- Field layout, fair/foul distinctions, ending games by innings rather than first to 21 runs (to prevent draws/stalling).
- Other: Shortstop position (credited to Adams), fly catches, and constraints on primitive practices.
Legacy
The 1857 convention (led by Adams) marked a pivotal "great leap forward," standardizing dimensions and play that remain core to modern baseball (90-foot bases, nine innings, nine players unchanged since the 19th century). It elevated the game beyond New York variants, enabling national spread and professionalization.
The documents reframed baseball's origins: Adams (a doctor, former Connecticut senator, and Knickerbocker leader who invented the shortstop and oversaw equipment) is now seen as a primary founder, challenging the long-held (but debated) credit to Alexander Cartwright (whose Hall of Fame plaque remains unchanged). Historians like John Thorn call it the "Dead Sea Scrolls of Baseball," dating the modern game's true beginnings to 1857 rather than 1845.
As of recent reports (around 2026), the documents were heading to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown (donated or placed by the 2016 buyer, identified in some sources as a collector named Truitt), preserving them for public/historical access.
This sale highlighted the skyrocketing value of foundational sports artifacts, drawing parallels to other "rule" documents like Naismith's basketball rules.
We are record setters here at SCP #Auctions. Remember when we sold The Laws of Baseball for over $3,000,000? We’d love to help you with your #sports #memorabilia in our Summer Premier Auction. Send in your #consignments before it’s too late. pic.twitter.com/jVT7YCG3vh
— SCP Auctions (@SCPAuctions) July 7, 2019
1857 Sheffield Foot-Ball Club Archives
2011 SOLD for £ 880K by Sotheby's
They were much playing ball in England in the mid-nineteenth century. Each community had its own laws, a situation that did not disturb anyone because inter-club competition was not yet existing.
Particularly dynamic since its creation in 1857, the Sheffield Foot-Ball Club immediately established a working group to standardize the sport. On October 28, 1858, a set of eleven rules was adopted. Sheffield succeeded where other clubs had failed: in 1863 the new Football Association confirmed the game as it was played in Sheffield.
The club sold its archives for £ 880K on July 14, 2011 at Sotheby's.
The documents contain the official records of the club with the minutes of meetings and the first accounts of games. They include, of course, the oldest handwritten version of the rules of football, but also the only known copy of the first printed edition (1859).
It is an extraordinary set for the knowledge of sports history, so important as an input to social history as a whole.
The Sheffield Foot Ball Club archives (historic records of Sheffield FC, recognized by FIFA and the FA as the world's oldest football club, founded October 24, 1857) were sold by Sotheby's London on July 14, 2011, as Lot 10 in the "English Literature, History, Children's Books & Illustrations" auction.
This was a single comprehensive lot comprising the club's earliest surviving archive, described as "the birth of modern football." Sheffield FC consigned the items to raise funds for the club's ongoing operations (it competes in non-league football, several tiers below the Premier League).
Auction Details
The archive (ink and paper documents, spanning manuscript books, rules, and ephemera) documented the club's foundational years and the evolution of football rules:
Legacy
Sheffield FC's 1857 founding and these 1858–1859 rules represent a cornerstone of modern association football (soccer). They influenced the FA's 1863 Laws of the Game (which Sheffield FC helped shape via representatives like Creswick, a key figure in early standardization). Key innovations included fixed rules for club matches, promoting organized play over ad-hoc games.The archive's survival allows historians to trace football's shift from informal pastimes to a global sport. Sheffield FC remains active (currently in the Northern Premier League Midlands Division), proudly maintaining its "world's oldest" status.
Post-auction, the buyer has kept the items in private hands (no public reports of resale, donation to museums like the National Football Museum, or return to the club). A separate 1859 printed rules copy surfaced and was auctioned by Sotheby's in 2021 (estimated £50,000–£70,000; Sheffield FC expressed interest in repurchasing). The 2011 sale underscored the soaring value of foundational sports artifacts, paralleling sales like the "Laws of Base Ball" or Coubertin's manifesto.
Particularly dynamic since its creation in 1857, the Sheffield Foot-Ball Club immediately established a working group to standardize the sport. On October 28, 1858, a set of eleven rules was adopted. Sheffield succeeded where other clubs had failed: in 1863 the new Football Association confirmed the game as it was played in Sheffield.
The club sold its archives for £ 880K on July 14, 2011 at Sotheby's.
The documents contain the official records of the club with the minutes of meetings and the first accounts of games. They include, of course, the oldest handwritten version of the rules of football, but also the only known copy of the first printed edition (1859).
It is an extraordinary set for the knowledge of sports history, so important as an input to social history as a whole.
The Sheffield Foot Ball Club archives (historic records of Sheffield FC, recognized by FIFA and the FA as the world's oldest football club, founded October 24, 1857) were sold by Sotheby's London on July 14, 2011, as Lot 10 in the "English Literature, History, Children's Books & Illustrations" auction.
This was a single comprehensive lot comprising the club's earliest surviving archive, described as "the birth of modern football." Sheffield FC consigned the items to raise funds for the club's ongoing operations (it competes in non-league football, several tiers below the Premier League).
Auction Details
- Auction House: Sotheby's London.
- Date: July 14, 2011.
- Lot: 10.
- Pre-Auction Estimate: £800,000–£1,200,000.
- Sale Result: Sold for £881,250 (including buyer's premium; approximately $1.4 million USD at the time), within the estimate range but setting a record for football/soccer memorabilia (surpassing prior sports document sales).
- Buyer: Identity not publicly disclosed in contemporary reports (anonymous private collector; some speculation pointed to Middle Eastern interest, including Qatar-linked bidders due to the timing ahead of the 2022 World Cup bid, but unconfirmed).
- Context: The lot was a highlight of the sale, emphasizing its primacy in codifying organized club football before the Football Association's formation in 1863.
The archive (ink and paper documents, spanning manuscript books, rules, and ephemera) documented the club's foundational years and the evolution of football rules:
- Handwritten draft rules (1858): The original manuscript version of the club's laws, drafted and discussed in meetings (e.g., starting with a letter from Nathaniel Creswick calling a meeting on October 9, 1858; resolutions for submission on October 28, 1858).
- Printed "Rules, Regulations, & Laws of the Sheffield Foot-Ball Club" (1859): The earliest known surviving printed club football rules (the only copy known at the time; a second copy surfaced later in 2021).
- Minute books:
- May 1858–early 1859: Included sports day results, subscriber lists, membership, accounts (expenses like footballs and beer), newspaper cuttings, and key minutes on establishing rules/laws.
- February 1859–October 1860: Sports results, press cuttings (including militia rifle corps involvement), meetings, subscriptions.
- 1864–1868: Annual reports (e.g., match details like heavy defeats to London but victories over Notts; 12 vs. 15 players in one game), resolutions (adopting offside rule conditionally, club uniform: scarlet cap/jersey and white trousers), AGM minutes, FA AGM cuttings.
- Other items: Match reports from early inter-club games (some of the first recorded), newspaper cuttings, and documents tracing rule changes and game development.
- Goals scored by kicking the ball under a string between posts.
- No handling the ball (except goalkeeper-like roles in some variants).
- "Fair catch" allowances (influenced by rugby but distinct).
- Offside concepts, player numbers, pitch markings, and conduct (e.g., no tripping, hacking, or holding).
Legacy
Sheffield FC's 1857 founding and these 1858–1859 rules represent a cornerstone of modern association football (soccer). They influenced the FA's 1863 Laws of the Game (which Sheffield FC helped shape via representatives like Creswick, a key figure in early standardization). Key innovations included fixed rules for club matches, promoting organized play over ad-hoc games.The archive's survival allows historians to trace football's shift from informal pastimes to a global sport. Sheffield FC remains active (currently in the Northern Premier League Midlands Division), proudly maintaining its "world's oldest" status.
Post-auction, the buyer has kept the items in private hands (no public reports of resale, donation to museums like the National Football Museum, or return to the club). A separate 1859 printed rules copy surfaced and was auctioned by Sotheby's in 2021 (estimated £50,000–£70,000; Sheffield FC expressed interest in repurchasing). The 2011 sale underscored the soaring value of foundational sports artifacts, paralleling sales like the "Laws of Base Ball" or Coubertin's manifesto.
1891 The Rules of Basket-Ball
2010 SOLD for $ 4.3M by Sotheby's
Basketball (originally spelled Basket-Ball) is a sport of flexibility and skill. It was created in 1891 in the United States, a little late compared to other competitive sports whose growth is linked to the development of transportation.
By design, it is not a rough sport. The idea of the inventor, the Canadian James Naismith, was to occupy without risk of injury the sportsmen in winter, when weather conditions do not allow to play baseball or football.
The elevated position of the baskets gives a specific interest to this sport that does not invite to physical contact. One can argue whether similar sports existed before basketball and inspired Naismit. No matter: the basketball based on his thirteen rules has become one of the most popular sports due to the simplicity of its required equipment.
Naismith had typed these thirteen rules, in two sheets that he modified by hand writing and signed. His family, who had kept this precious document, consigned it at Sotheby's on December 10, 2010 for the benefit of a Canadian foundation that spreads the ideals of sportsmanship of the inventor.
It was sold for $ 4.3M from an estimate in the region of $ 2M. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The "Rules of Basket-Ball" (the original 13 rules of basketball, handwritten title by James Naismith on two typewritten pages, dated December 21, 1891) was sold by Sotheby's New York on December 10, 2010, as Lot 5001 in the "James Naismith's Founding Rules of Basketball" dedicated auction (catalog N08735).
This document is the foundational "birth certificate" of basketball: the rules Naismith typed up (with his handwritten title "Basket Ball" and annotations) on the morning he introduced the game to his class at the International YMCA Training School (now Springfield College) in Springfield, Massachusetts. It was sold by the Naismith International Basketball Foundation (run by his grandson Ian Naismith) to benefit the foundation's charitable work promoting sportsmanship, integrity, fair play, and services for underprivileged children.
Auction Details
The document outlines the original 13 rules Naismith devised to create an indoor game that could be played during harsh New England winters, emphasizing safety, skill over brute force, and minimal equipment (using peach baskets nailed to balcony rails as goals and a soccer ball).Key rules included:
The document's legacy is as basketball's "Magna Carta": proof of its deliberate invention (not evolved organically), symbolizing innovation in physical education. It highlights how a simple idea addressed a problem (winter indoor activity) and grew into a vehicle for unity, health, and opportunity. The sale amplified its visibility as a cultural artifact.
Intention and Biography of Naismith
James Naismith (November 6, 1861 – November 28, 1939) was a Canadian-American physical educator, physician, ordained Presbyterian minister, and coach. Born in Ramsay Township, Ontario (near Almonte), he orphaned young and raised by relatives; he studied at McGill University (BA 1888, theology/alumni athletics), where he excelled in football and lacrosse. He earned a diploma in physical education at the YMCA International Training School in Springfield (1890–1891).
In late 1891, under superintendent Luther Gulick's directive to invent an indoor game for restless winter gym classes (avoiding injuries from adapted outdoor sports), Naismith drew inspiration from childhood games (duck on a rock for non-violent throwing) and rules from sports like soccer/rugby. His intention was educational and moral: create a game promoting physical fitness, character-building, teamwork, and Christian values (fair play, no rough play) for YMCA youth—emphasizing "mens sana in corpore sano" (healthy mind in healthy body). He never patented it, viewing basketball as a gift to society.
Naismith later earned an MD (1898, Gross Medical College, Denver), served as a chaplain in WWI (France, 1917–1919; designed early football helmet), and joined the University of Kansas in 1898 as chapel director, athletics director, and first basketball coach (coaching until 1907; program still active). He remained at KU until retirement (1937), influencing coaches like Forrest "Phog" Allen.
His legacy endures: Basketball Hall of Fame (Springfield, MA) named after him; game global (FIBA, NBA, Olympics); principles of inclusivity and non-violence persist. The rules' 2010 sale and donation to KU (now displayed at the university) tied it to his coaching legacy there.
By design, it is not a rough sport. The idea of the inventor, the Canadian James Naismith, was to occupy without risk of injury the sportsmen in winter, when weather conditions do not allow to play baseball or football.
The elevated position of the baskets gives a specific interest to this sport that does not invite to physical contact. One can argue whether similar sports existed before basketball and inspired Naismit. No matter: the basketball based on his thirteen rules has become one of the most popular sports due to the simplicity of its required equipment.
Naismith had typed these thirteen rules, in two sheets that he modified by hand writing and signed. His family, who had kept this precious document, consigned it at Sotheby's on December 10, 2010 for the benefit of a Canadian foundation that spreads the ideals of sportsmanship of the inventor.
It was sold for $ 4.3M from an estimate in the region of $ 2M. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The "Rules of Basket-Ball" (the original 13 rules of basketball, handwritten title by James Naismith on two typewritten pages, dated December 21, 1891) was sold by Sotheby's New York on December 10, 2010, as Lot 5001 in the "James Naismith's Founding Rules of Basketball" dedicated auction (catalog N08735).
This document is the foundational "birth certificate" of basketball: the rules Naismith typed up (with his handwritten title "Basket Ball" and annotations) on the morning he introduced the game to his class at the International YMCA Training School (now Springfield College) in Springfield, Massachusetts. It was sold by the Naismith International Basketball Foundation (run by his grandson Ian Naismith) to benefit the foundation's charitable work promoting sportsmanship, integrity, fair play, and services for underprivileged children.
Auction Details
- Auction House: Sotheby's New York.
- Date: December 10, 2010.
- Lot: 5001 (two signed typescript pages, framed, with Naismith's handwritten title and notes).
- Pre-Auction Estimate: $2 million+ (some reports noted prior appraisals as high as $5 million in 1996).
- Sale Result: Sold for $4,338,500 (including buyer's premium; hammer price around $3.8 million), setting a world record for sports memorabilia at the time (surpassing prior highs and comparable to rare books like Shakespeare's First Folio adjusted for inflation).
- Buyer: David and Suzanne Booth (Kansas University alumni and major Jayhawks boosters; David Booth is a Texas-based investor). They purchased it via telephone bidding.
- Context: Part of a strong sale including other historical documents (e.g., Robert Kennedy's Emancipation Proclamation copy sold for $3.8 million). The rules fetched the highest price, underscoring basketball's cultural status.
The document outlines the original 13 rules Naismith devised to create an indoor game that could be played during harsh New England winters, emphasizing safety, skill over brute force, and minimal equipment (using peach baskets nailed to balcony rails as goals and a soccer ball).Key rules included:
- No running with the ball (must pass or dribble; early form of dribbling allowed but not emphasized).
- No shouldering, holding, pushing, tripping, or striking opponents (focus on non-contact).
- A goal scored by throwing the ball into the basket counts as one point.
- Play continues until a goal or foul; fouls penalized by free throws.
- Teams of 9 players (later reduced).
- No player could occupy the space near the basket excessively.
The document's legacy is as basketball's "Magna Carta": proof of its deliberate invention (not evolved organically), symbolizing innovation in physical education. It highlights how a simple idea addressed a problem (winter indoor activity) and grew into a vehicle for unity, health, and opportunity. The sale amplified its visibility as a cultural artifact.
Intention and Biography of Naismith
James Naismith (November 6, 1861 – November 28, 1939) was a Canadian-American physical educator, physician, ordained Presbyterian minister, and coach. Born in Ramsay Township, Ontario (near Almonte), he orphaned young and raised by relatives; he studied at McGill University (BA 1888, theology/alumni athletics), where he excelled in football and lacrosse. He earned a diploma in physical education at the YMCA International Training School in Springfield (1890–1891).
In late 1891, under superintendent Luther Gulick's directive to invent an indoor game for restless winter gym classes (avoiding injuries from adapted outdoor sports), Naismith drew inspiration from childhood games (duck on a rock for non-violent throwing) and rules from sports like soccer/rugby. His intention was educational and moral: create a game promoting physical fitness, character-building, teamwork, and Christian values (fair play, no rough play) for YMCA youth—emphasizing "mens sana in corpore sano" (healthy mind in healthy body). He never patented it, viewing basketball as a gift to society.
Naismith later earned an MD (1898, Gross Medical College, Denver), served as a chaplain in WWI (France, 1917–1919; designed early football helmet), and joined the University of Kansas in 1898 as chapel director, athletics director, and first basketball coach (coaching until 1907; program still active). He remained at KU until retirement (1937), influencing coaches like Forrest "Phog" Allen.
His legacy endures: Basketball Hall of Fame (Springfield, MA) named after him; game global (FIBA, NBA, Olympics); principles of inclusivity and non-violence persist. The rules' 2010 sale and donation to KU (now displayed at the university) tied it to his coaching legacy there.
1892 Coubertin's Address for the Olympic Games
2019 SOLD for $ 8.8M by Sotheby's
In 1888 the 25-year-old publicist Pierre de Coubertin decides to concentrate all his efforts on the integration of sport into educational systems. Traumatized by the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, he sees sport as a means to ensure peace in the world. The moment is good : the extension of the railroad has favored inter-city sports confrontations in several countries, and the telegraph facilitates the preparations.
With a remarkable open-mindedness, Coubertin compares the progress of sport in several countries. In England, the country of the fair play, football is a team sport practiced in colleges, including Rugby, and the establishment of official rules allows competitions. In Sweden the mental benefit of gymnastics is officially recognized. In the United States, sport opens the way to the practice of collective recreation. He does not like the use of sport for military training in Germany but recognizes its heroic character.
The time is also favorable for meetings of thematic clubs in England and France. They will support the development of the Coubertin project. In 1891 he promulgates a motto : citius, fortius, altius (later modified in its sequence). Coubertin is setting the example : on March 20, 1892 he is the referee in the final of the first French rugby championship.
Taking as a pretext the fifth anniversary of a running club, a conference is organized at the Sorbonne on November 25, 1892, with three speakers. Bourdon and Jusserand tell the history of the sport. Coubertin, entrusted for dealing with modern sport, concludes his speech by proposing the reestablishment of the Olympic Games.
In this seminal address, Coubertin's vision is universal. The most developed nations will help the others. It is a matter of practicing sports in common between athletes of all nations with a search for the individual excellence, but not yet of international competition or rewards.
The autograph draft of this Coubertin thesis, largely modified by the author in the preparation phase, was sold for $ 8.8M from a lower estimate of $ 700K by Sotheby's on December 18, 2019, lot 173.
Very remarkably, despite necessarily different visions of his international interlocutors, it is Coubertin himself who will concretize his concept. A January 1894 autograph document defining the stadium and sports passed at Goldin Auctions on October 29, 2016. In June 1894, Pierre de Coubertin creates the International Olympic Committee.
Pierre de Coubertin's Olympic Address (commonly known as The Olympic Manifesto or his 1892 speech/manifesto) was sold by Sotheby's in New York on December 18, 2019, as Lot 173 in the "Fine Books and Manuscripts, Including the Olympic Manifesto" auction. This 14-page autographed manuscript in French was Coubertin's original handwritten draft (with inscriptions and corrections) of his keynote address delivered on November 25, 1892, at the annual meeting of the Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques (Union of French Athletic Sports Societies) in Paris at the Sorbonne. It marked his first public call for the revival of the ancient Olympic Games after nearly 1,500 years.Auction Details
The address passionately advocated for the re-establishment of the Olympic Games as a modern international festival of athletics, education, and moral/physical development. Coubertin argued that reviving the Games would promote physical education in schools (inspired by British models), foster international understanding among youth, and counterbalance the militarism and nationalism of his era through peaceful competition.
Key themes included:
"The important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle; the essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well." (Original French: "L’important dans la vie ce n’est point le triomphe, mais le combat, l’essentiel ce n’est pas d’avoir vaincu mais de s’être bien battu.") This encapsulated his emphasis on participation, effort, and moral growth over mere victory.
The speech initially met with limited enthusiasm, but it laid the groundwork for the 1894 Sorbonne Congress, where the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was founded and the first modern Games set for Athens in 1896.
Intention and Biography of Coubertin
Pierre de Coubertin (full name: Charles Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin; born January 1, 1863, in Paris; died September 2, 1937, in Geneva) was a French aristocrat, educator, historian, and humanist. Influenced by the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871), he sought ways to strengthen French youth through physical education. He admired British public schools' emphasis on sports and American collegiate athletics.
His primary intention was educational reform: to integrate sport into schooling to build character, discipline, and international goodwill. He viewed the revived Olympics not as mere competitions but as a "state of mind" (Olympism) promoting harmony, peace, and the balanced development of body and mind ("mens sana in corpore sano"). A pacifist and internationalist, he aimed to channel national rivalries into athletic rather than military arenas, creating a global festival every four years. He co-founded the IOC in 1894, served as its president (1896–1925), and shaped its rituals and ideals.
Global Legacy of the Olympic Games Project
Coubertin's vision transformed the Olympics into the world's largest peaceful international event, held every four years (with interruptions for wars), involving nearly every nation and billions of viewers. The modern Games emphasize:
This episode underscored the immense cultural and historical value of Coubertin's work, turning a once-overlooked speech into one of the most expensive documents ever sold.
With a remarkable open-mindedness, Coubertin compares the progress of sport in several countries. In England, the country of the fair play, football is a team sport practiced in colleges, including Rugby, and the establishment of official rules allows competitions. In Sweden the mental benefit of gymnastics is officially recognized. In the United States, sport opens the way to the practice of collective recreation. He does not like the use of sport for military training in Germany but recognizes its heroic character.
The time is also favorable for meetings of thematic clubs in England and France. They will support the development of the Coubertin project. In 1891 he promulgates a motto : citius, fortius, altius (later modified in its sequence). Coubertin is setting the example : on March 20, 1892 he is the referee in the final of the first French rugby championship.
Taking as a pretext the fifth anniversary of a running club, a conference is organized at the Sorbonne on November 25, 1892, with three speakers. Bourdon and Jusserand tell the history of the sport. Coubertin, entrusted for dealing with modern sport, concludes his speech by proposing the reestablishment of the Olympic Games.
In this seminal address, Coubertin's vision is universal. The most developed nations will help the others. It is a matter of practicing sports in common between athletes of all nations with a search for the individual excellence, but not yet of international competition or rewards.
The autograph draft of this Coubertin thesis, largely modified by the author in the preparation phase, was sold for $ 8.8M from a lower estimate of $ 700K by Sotheby's on December 18, 2019, lot 173.
Very remarkably, despite necessarily different visions of his international interlocutors, it is Coubertin himself who will concretize his concept. A January 1894 autograph document defining the stadium and sports passed at Goldin Auctions on October 29, 2016. In June 1894, Pierre de Coubertin creates the International Olympic Committee.
Pierre de Coubertin's Olympic Address (commonly known as The Olympic Manifesto or his 1892 speech/manifesto) was sold by Sotheby's in New York on December 18, 2019, as Lot 173 in the "Fine Books and Manuscripts, Including the Olympic Manifesto" auction. This 14-page autographed manuscript in French was Coubertin's original handwritten draft (with inscriptions and corrections) of his keynote address delivered on November 25, 1892, at the annual meeting of the Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques (Union of French Athletic Sports Societies) in Paris at the Sorbonne. It marked his first public call for the revival of the ancient Olympic Games after nearly 1,500 years.Auction Details
- Auction House: Sotheby's New York.
- Date: December 18, 2019.
- Lot: 173.
- Description: A 14-page manuscript (inked in black on ruled paper, with some corrections and additions), titled in Coubertin's hand, representing the foundational text for the modern Olympic Movement. It had been rediscovered (notably after a flea market search in some accounts) and was offered publicly for the first time.
- Pre-Auction Estimate: $700,000–$1,000,000.
- Sale Result: Sold for $8,806,500 (including buyer's premium), far exceeding the high estimate (nearly 9 times over) and setting a world auction record for sports memorabilia (surpassing items like Babe Ruth's jersey). Bidding lasted about 12 minutes.
- Buyer: Anonymous (private collector; no public revelation of identity in subsequent reports).
- Context in Sale: The lot was a highlight of a dedicated books and manuscripts auction, emphasizing its historical significance as the "blueprint" for the modern Olympics.
The address passionately advocated for the re-establishment of the Olympic Games as a modern international festival of athletics, education, and moral/physical development. Coubertin argued that reviving the Games would promote physical education in schools (inspired by British models), foster international understanding among youth, and counterbalance the militarism and nationalism of his era through peaceful competition.
Key themes included:
- The educational value of sport for character-building and youth.
- The need for an international, periodic event to unite nations.
- A vision of athletics as a "grandiose and beneficent work."
"The important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle; the essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well." (Original French: "L’important dans la vie ce n’est point le triomphe, mais le combat, l’essentiel ce n’est pas d’avoir vaincu mais de s’être bien battu.") This encapsulated his emphasis on participation, effort, and moral growth over mere victory.
The speech initially met with limited enthusiasm, but it laid the groundwork for the 1894 Sorbonne Congress, where the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was founded and the first modern Games set for Athens in 1896.
Intention and Biography of Coubertin
Pierre de Coubertin (full name: Charles Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin; born January 1, 1863, in Paris; died September 2, 1937, in Geneva) was a French aristocrat, educator, historian, and humanist. Influenced by the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871), he sought ways to strengthen French youth through physical education. He admired British public schools' emphasis on sports and American collegiate athletics.
His primary intention was educational reform: to integrate sport into schooling to build character, discipline, and international goodwill. He viewed the revived Olympics not as mere competitions but as a "state of mind" (Olympism) promoting harmony, peace, and the balanced development of body and mind ("mens sana in corpore sano"). A pacifist and internationalist, he aimed to channel national rivalries into athletic rather than military arenas, creating a global festival every four years. He co-founded the IOC in 1894, served as its president (1896–1925), and shaped its rituals and ideals.
Global Legacy of the Olympic Games Project
Coubertin's vision transformed the Olympics into the world's largest peaceful international event, held every four years (with interruptions for wars), involving nearly every nation and billions of viewers. The modern Games emphasize:
- International unity and cultural exchange.
- Amateurism (originally; evolved over time).
- Educational and moral values beyond winning.
- Symbols like the Olympic rings, flame, and creed.
This episode underscored the immense cultural and historical value of Coubertin's work, turning a once-overlooked speech into one of the most expensive documents ever sold.
#AuctionUpdate Moments ago in our #NYC salesroom, the original Olympic Games manifesto soared to $8.8 million, more than 8.5x its $1 million high estimate following a 12-minute bidding battle. The manifesto outlines Pierre de Coubertin's vision for reviving the ancient games. pic.twitter.com/xoR4uAzs2t
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) December 18, 2019
1918 Red Sox Contract with George H. Ruth
2014 SOLD for $ 1.02M by Goldin
Since 1914, Babe Ruth made the happiness of his bosses in the Boston American League Baseball Club better known as the Red Sox. Originally a pitcher, the lefty has improved his batting skill for a more interesting and prestigious position on the field.
He knows that he can demand a salary increase for 1918. He will earn $ 5,000 for the new season, compared with the $ 3,500 of his paycheck from the previous year. The debate is not difficult because the employer knows the actual value of the player. This contract is considered as a bargain for the club.
The contract was signed in triplicate on January 16, 1918 by the player, the club owner and president of the American League in the official format. The copy for Babe Ruth is the oldest surviving contractual document concerning the champion. It was sold for $ 1.02M by Goldin on July 12, 2014. This document is illustrated in the post sale release by Auction Report.
He knows that he can demand a salary increase for 1918. He will earn $ 5,000 for the new season, compared with the $ 3,500 of his paycheck from the previous year. The debate is not difficult because the employer knows the actual value of the player. This contract is considered as a bargain for the club.
The contract was signed in triplicate on January 16, 1918 by the player, the club owner and president of the American League in the official format. The copy for Babe Ruth is the oldest surviving contractual document concerning the champion. It was sold for $ 1.02M by Goldin on July 12, 2014. This document is illustrated in the post sale release by Auction Report.
1919 Contract selling Babe Ruth to the NY Yankees
1
Ruppert copy
2017 SOLD for $ 2.3M by Lelands
A bad decision can change the course of history. It is also true in sport.
Until 1918 the Boston Red Sox team dominated the prestigious World Series of Major League Baseball. The 1919 season is bad for the Red Sox and the club owner Harry Frazee decides to change his strategy, preferring to build a consistent team rather than relying on a star player. The larger than life behavior of Babe Ruth and his growing demands of salary do not please Frazee : the player George H. Ruth is now available for sale !
Frazee who is also a theater director is in a urgent need of money. He accepts the proposal of the New York Yankees of a $ 300K mortgage loan hiring his Boston ballpark and sells Ruth to the Yankees for $ 100K.
The contract selling the player is signed with a notary in New York City on December 26, 1919. Cautiously some clauses are added on how both parties shall handle a probable new demand of salary increase by Ruth or a possible deficiency of the player to work for the Yankees.
Three copies of this contract have been established. Frazee's document was sold for $ 1M by Sotheby's on June 10, 2005. The document attributed to Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert was sold for $ 2.3M by Lelands on June 30, 2017, lot 2. The third copy did not resurface.
Babe Ruth signed with the New York Yankees in the following month. The most brilliant part of his exceptional sporting career was beginning.
From a sporting point of view, Frazee's decision is a disaster for the Boston club which disappears until 2004 from the list of the World Series winners. This long period is assimilated with a curse in the legend of baseball under the name of Curse of the Bambino.
Until 1918 the Boston Red Sox team dominated the prestigious World Series of Major League Baseball. The 1919 season is bad for the Red Sox and the club owner Harry Frazee decides to change his strategy, preferring to build a consistent team rather than relying on a star player. The larger than life behavior of Babe Ruth and his growing demands of salary do not please Frazee : the player George H. Ruth is now available for sale !
Frazee who is also a theater director is in a urgent need of money. He accepts the proposal of the New York Yankees of a $ 300K mortgage loan hiring his Boston ballpark and sells Ruth to the Yankees for $ 100K.
The contract selling the player is signed with a notary in New York City on December 26, 1919. Cautiously some clauses are added on how both parties shall handle a probable new demand of salary increase by Ruth or a possible deficiency of the player to work for the Yankees.
Three copies of this contract have been established. Frazee's document was sold for $ 1M by Sotheby's on June 10, 2005. The document attributed to Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert was sold for $ 2.3M by Lelands on June 30, 2017, lot 2. The third copy did not resurface.
Babe Ruth signed with the New York Yankees in the following month. The most brilliant part of his exceptional sporting career was beginning.
From a sporting point of view, Frazee's decision is a disaster for the Boston club which disappears until 2004 from the list of the World Series winners. This long period is assimilated with a curse in the legend of baseball under the name of Curse of the Bambino.
An original of the sale contract that sent Babe Ruth from Red Sox to Yankees is being auctioned by @Lelandsdotcom https://t.co/9b9PLKUFrj pic.twitter.com/dlM41VBK2Y
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) May 23, 2017
2
Frazee copy
2005 SOLD for $ 1M by Sotheby's
The contract by which the Boston Red Sox sold Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees has been established in three copies on December 26, 2019. The copy attributed to the Red Sox owner Harry Frazee was sold for $ 1M by Sotheby's on June 10, 2005.
1922 Yankees Contract with Babe Ruth
2016 SOLD for $ 550K by Goldin
For a long time baseball only appealed the Americans. It was originally the pretext of intense sporting rivalries between several clubs in New York and Brooklyn. Moreover it did not reject the business unlike the Olympic amateurism highly acclaimed in Europe.
Three major contracts mark the progress of the fame of Babe Ruth.
On January 16, 1918, Ruth signs with the Boston Red Sox for a salary of $ 5,000 per year which is an increase by 43% compared to his previous payment. A signed copy was sold for $ 1,02M iby Goldin in 2014.
The champion is not directly involved in the contract signed in 1919 by the Red Sox and the Yankees for his transfer to the New York team because the contract defining his salary is still valid. A copy of the contract between the two clubs was sold for $ 2.3M by Lelands in 2017.
Babe Ruth is eager to renegotiate his salary. Thanks to his skills the Yankees can compete with their rivals the New York Giants. Crowds rush to watch the champion on the field and the Yankees will soon decide to build the Yankee Stadium.
Ruth is in a strong position. He refuses the offers by the Yankees at $ 30,000, 40,000 and 50,000 per year before concluding at $ 52,000 stating that this number suits him because it corresponds to one grand per week. The contract is signed on March 10, 1922. Unable to oppose the unprecedented salary expectations of the champion the Yankees had obtained that Ruth refrains from drinking liquors and does not stay up after 1 A.M. during the playing season.
A signed copy of the contract was sold for $ 550K by Goldin on April 30, 2016, lot 43.
Three major contracts mark the progress of the fame of Babe Ruth.
On January 16, 1918, Ruth signs with the Boston Red Sox for a salary of $ 5,000 per year which is an increase by 43% compared to his previous payment. A signed copy was sold for $ 1,02M iby Goldin in 2014.
The champion is not directly involved in the contract signed in 1919 by the Red Sox and the Yankees for his transfer to the New York team because the contract defining his salary is still valid. A copy of the contract between the two clubs was sold for $ 2.3M by Lelands in 2017.
Babe Ruth is eager to renegotiate his salary. Thanks to his skills the Yankees can compete with their rivals the New York Giants. Crowds rush to watch the champion on the field and the Yankees will soon decide to build the Yankee Stadium.
Ruth is in a strong position. He refuses the offers by the Yankees at $ 30,000, 40,000 and 50,000 per year before concluding at $ 52,000 stating that this number suits him because it corresponds to one grand per week. The contract is signed on March 10, 1922. Unable to oppose the unprecedented salary expectations of the champion the Yankees had obtained that Ruth refrains from drinking liquors and does not stay up after 1 A.M. during the playing season.
A signed copy of the contract was sold for $ 550K by Goldin on April 30, 2016, lot 43.
1946 Bureau Questionnaire filled by Jackie Robinson
2022 SOLD for $ 1.68M by Heritage
The zeal in applying a strict discrimination in buses and sport eventually canceled the racial segregation in the United States forever. Jesse Owens did not have the social charisma to achieve such a breakthrough. Jackie Robinson did it.
Engaged in the US army during the war, Jackie Robinson manages to force his admission into a school for White officers. In 1944, following the path opened in boxing by Joe Louis and Ray Sugar Robinson, he refuses the segregation in a military bus.
Once released from the army Jackie Robinson chooses baseball. He stirs the attention of club managers : the Major League is banned for the Blacks but this young guy is too skilled to remain in the minor leagues. It was to a White, Branch Rickey, to force the fate.
Rickey is manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers in Major League and of the Montreal Royals in a minor league. He summons Robinson in August 1945, warning him that he will be the object of the vociferous hatred of the Whites, including within his own team. Robinson keeps in mind the deserved glory of his friend Joe Louis. He accepts.
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson filled out the standard questionnaire of the American Baseball Bureau. This document is date stamped 28 Mar 1946. It was sold for $ 1.68M from a lower estimate of $ 1M by Heritage on February 26, 2022, lot 80079.
His ambition is made clear in this autograph document. He enters in baseball "To open door for Negroes in Organized Ball" and he recognizes the influence of "Mr Branch Rickey". Unsurprisingly he does not reveal the "most unusual experience" of his 31 months of service in the US Cavalry.
Robinson's signing with the Royals on October 23, 1945 had been unnoticed. His first MLB game, on April 15, 1947 with the Dodgers, will be the major social breakthrough as planned by Rickey and himself.
Engaged in the US army during the war, Jackie Robinson manages to force his admission into a school for White officers. In 1944, following the path opened in boxing by Joe Louis and Ray Sugar Robinson, he refuses the segregation in a military bus.
Once released from the army Jackie Robinson chooses baseball. He stirs the attention of club managers : the Major League is banned for the Blacks but this young guy is too skilled to remain in the minor leagues. It was to a White, Branch Rickey, to force the fate.
Rickey is manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers in Major League and of the Montreal Royals in a minor league. He summons Robinson in August 1945, warning him that he will be the object of the vociferous hatred of the Whites, including within his own team. Robinson keeps in mind the deserved glory of his friend Joe Louis. He accepts.
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson filled out the standard questionnaire of the American Baseball Bureau. This document is date stamped 28 Mar 1946. It was sold for $ 1.68M from a lower estimate of $ 1M by Heritage on February 26, 2022, lot 80079.
His ambition is made clear in this autograph document. He enters in baseball "To open door for Negroes in Organized Ball" and he recognizes the influence of "Mr Branch Rickey". Unsurprisingly he does not reveal the "most unusual experience" of his 31 months of service in the US Cavalry.
Robinson's signing with the Royals on October 23, 1945 had been unnoticed. His first MLB game, on April 15, 1947 with the Dodgers, will be the major social breakthrough as planned by Rickey and himself.
This is Jackie Robinson’s American Baseball Bureau Questionnaire filled out in 1946 before he began Triple A ball with the Montreal Royals. Filled with incredible content from the man who would change not only baseball, but the hearts and minds of a nationhttps://t.co/Lz4g8ErkDA pic.twitter.com/FTndSyUJgK
— Heritage Auctions Sports (@Heritage_Sport) December 29, 2021
1952 Letter by Joe DiMaggio to Marilyn Monroe
2021 SOLD for $ 530K by Christie's and Hunt
Joe DiMaggio retired from baseball in 1951, aged 37. Divorced in 1944 from the actress Dorothy Arnold, he met in January 1952 the pin up model Marilyn Monroe, 12 years younger than him, divorced since 1946. Their romance was immediately publicized. At that time Joe was much more in view than Marilyn.
A three page handwritten love letter mailed on July 15, 1952 by Joe to Marilyn, still accompanied by its cover, was sold on October 7, 2021 by Christie's and Hunt for $ 525K from a lower estimate of $ 50K, lot 150.
Marilyn met her world fame as a movie actress and sex symbol in 1953. She married Joe in January 1954 and filed for divorce from a now jealous Joe nine months later.
A two page handwritten enthusiast letter to Joe prepared on March 1, 1954 by the newlywed Marilyn was sold for $ 200K in the same 2021 as the example above, lot 148.
A letter by Marilyn to Joe handwritten on the back of a dry cleaning receipt was sold for $ 425K by Christie's and Hunt on December 16, 2020, lot 152. This document signed by Marilyn as Mrs J.P. DiMaggio is in poor condition after being kept by Joe in his wallet.
A three page handwritten love letter mailed on July 15, 1952 by Joe to Marilyn, still accompanied by its cover, was sold on October 7, 2021 by Christie's and Hunt for $ 525K from a lower estimate of $ 50K, lot 150.
Marilyn met her world fame as a movie actress and sex symbol in 1953. She married Joe in January 1954 and filed for divorce from a now jealous Joe nine months later.
A two page handwritten enthusiast letter to Joe prepared on March 1, 1954 by the newlywed Marilyn was sold for $ 200K in the same 2021 as the example above, lot 148.
A letter by Marilyn to Joe handwritten on the back of a dry cleaning receipt was sold for $ 425K by Christie's and Hunt on December 16, 2020, lot 152. This document signed by Marilyn as Mrs J.P. DiMaggio is in poor condition after being kept by Joe in his wallet.
