1956 Olympics USA Basketball Memorabilia
Watch
GUEST:
We have a autographed basketball from the 1956 Olympics. My father was the trainer, and these are some of the stuff he brought back with him.
APPRAISER:
A great team.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
A gold medal-winning team.
GUEST:
Oh, yes.
APPRAISER:
Led by Bill Russell and K.C. Jones. Here we have an original photograph of the team.
GUEST:
Uh-huh.
APPRAISER:
Here's Bill Russell...
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
And here's K.C. Jones.
GUEST:
Oh, that's K.C.? Okay.
APPRAISER:
Yep. And, and here's your dad right here, the trainer.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
And this is pre-Celtic dynasty, before Russell joined the Celtics and created perhaps the greatest dynasty in all of sports. Here we have the original scorebook...
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
...from Melbourne, Australia, 1956. Here we have it turned to the gold medal winning game...
GUEST:
Yeah, the final game.
APPRAISER:
...of the U.S. vs. the USSR. Now, this team outscored their opponents by at least 30 points in every single game they played.
GUEST:
Yep.
APPRAISER:
So, I mean, this is unheard-of.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
They cruised to the gold medal, and we very, very rarely ever see scorebooks from the Olympics. How did this come into your dad's possession?
GUEST:
One of the gentlemen that was involved in the team-- I think he was the assistant coach-- mailed it to him, and sent him a letter, and said, "Add this to your collection. And thanks for all your help in making it a successful Olympics."
APPRAISER:
Sort of a souvenir.
GUEST:
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
APPRAISER:
And I know we also have your dad's participation medal from the Olympics.
GUEST:
Uh, yes, that's, I think that's what this is.
APPRAISER:
And, and that's also a great piece, but the gem of the whole thing is this basketball. It looks brand-new.
GUEST:
Yeah, well, it's been sitting in a closet in a plastic bag for 50 years.
APPRAISER:
It's amazing because, generally, when you see a basketball this age, it's crackling, and, certainly, if it's been autographed, the signatures are kind of worn off.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
But this looks like it was signed yesterday.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
And, of course, we have Bill Russell's signature here.
GUEST:
Right there at the top.
APPRAISER:
A very rare signature. He didn't like to sign, but, obviously, he, he liked your dad.
GUEST:
I guess.
APPRAISER:
And he signed a big, bold signature there. And then we have K.C.'s signature here and your dad's signature right there.
GUEST:
Yeah, the whole team.
APPRAISER:
What an amazing ensemble. Very, very rare to find basketball memorabilia of this era. You got Olympic collectors who'd just go crazy for it. And, of course, basketball collectors. And then you got the Celtic guys. As far as a collection, I would sell it as such. In an auction...
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
I would estimate it at least $8,000 to $10,000.
GUEST:
Wow, that's a pretty good price. But it's never going there.
APPRAISER:
And you're talking about condition here with the ball, you're talking about rarity with the scorebook. If you were to insure it, I wouldn't insure it for anything less than $15,000.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
It's impossible to replace this.
Appraisal Details
Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."
Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.
Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.
Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.
Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.
Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.
