With the deadline to comply with a cease and desist letter from the Braves now come and gone, Heritage Auctions says it hopes to resolve a dispute concerning Hank Aaron memorabilia “expediently and amicably.” However, the auction house did withdraw some of the mementos on Tuesday after the expiration of the deadline. Other disputed items remain available.
The Braves gave Heritage a deadline of 5 p.m. today to remove several disputed items from an auction this weekend in a letter sent on Friday and first obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The 5 p.m. deadline expired with the items still active on the auction site.
However, at about 7 p.m., Heritage Auctions withdrew part of the collection - removing the home plate and bases said to be from Aaron’s 715th home run.
The statement from Heritage to the AJC before the deadline on Tuesday read: “The Braves did not have all the facts concerning the Braves material in the upcoming auction. Heritage Auctions is currently sharing that information with the Braves’ counsel, and we hope to have this expediently and amicably resolved.”
While the alleged home plate and bases are no longer available, at least for the time being, a cap from 1974, a jersey from 1974 and a jersey from 1954 are available even as they have had their authenticity and ownership in question. All the disputed memorabilia is set to be a part of Heritage Auctions’ Summer Platinum Night Sports Auction Friday through Sunday.
The AJC first called into question the possible authenticity of the home plate and bases after reporting that the Baseball Hall of Fame has an Aaron display, since 2009, with the third base from the night he hit the historic home run.
The Hall of Fame first issued the following statement to the AJC when it contacted the museum about the auction. “The third base bag from Hank Aaron’s 715 home run game, which was presented to him following his record-setting home run, was then donated by Aaron to the Hall of Fame in 1982. He subsequently donated his entire collection to the Hall of Fame.”
The Hall of Fame does not have the home plate and first and second bases from that game on April 8, 1974. Lelands reportedly sold the second base from the game in an auction in 2002. The bat and ball from the historic home run are at Truist Park.
Heritage Auctions stood by the authenticity of the items in a previous statement to the AJC, and said it first heard of a potential issue in the AJC’s article.
The Braves have questioned the authenticity and origins of the memorabilia. Concerning the home plate and bases, Heritage Auctions said they were consigned by the son of a long-time Braves employee. The auction house has not disclosed the name of the consignor but says a letter from the person is part of the lot. How some of the items were acquired by Heritage Auctions for the auction is also at issue for the Braves as they were believed to be improperly taken.
Part of the cease and desist letter read: “Heritage is now on notice that the authenticity of the Disputed Items are reasonably disputed; therefore, Heritage must immediately disclose this information to any potential bidder. The Atlanta Braves remain deeply concerned with Heritage’s lack of diligence and complete failure to authenticate the Disputed Items.”
If Heritage Auctions does not comply with the Braves cease and desist letter, they “will exercise all of its legal rights and remedies under the law and in equity, including, but not limited to: (i) seeking an injunction in federal court to halt the sale of the Disputed Items; (ii) seeking disgorgement of profits, fees, or monies associated with the sale of the Disputed Items; and (iii) contacting appropriate authorities to initiate criminal charges for theft, conversion, fraud, and additional ancillary claims.”
The home plate and bases had an early bid of $45,000, up $1,000 since the dispute became public, when it was made unavailable. The 1974 cap has an early bid of $7,250, up $750 from earlier this week. The 1974 jersey has an early bid of $110,000, up $5,000 from earlier this week. The 1954 jersey has an early bid of $862,500, up $62,500 from earlier this week.
