Historical Hockey Memorabilia Auction Spring 2019
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 6/18/2019
The late, great Gary Carter made his mark right from the outset of his Hall of Fame major league career. Carter, who died of brain cancer in 2012, signed his 1975 Montreal Expos game-worn batting helmet from his rookie season. The Kid represented the Expos at the All-Star Game in Milwaukee, catching the final out in left field, and was named the Sporting News NL Rookie of the Year, and runner-up in NL Rookie of the Year voting, after hitting .270 with 17 homers and 68 RBIs in 144 games. This helmet was originally purchased from a large collection of Montreal Expos game-worn items some decades ago, with all said material purchased from that collection turning out to be authentic.
Carter signed in silver paint pen on the brim on the front of the helmet. His number “8” is hand-painted in yellow on the front edge of the brim and on the back of the helmet. The Expos decal on the front of the helmet has a small crease on the left edge from when it was originally affixed. The helmet has all of its original interior padding and the original American Baseball Cap size 7 1/4 sticker inside the top has “8” handwritten on it in red. The helmet displays scuffs and marks from game wear with a small portion of the white “button” painted on top missing. A spectacular display piece from the outset of a remarkable career.
Carter made 80 starts in right field in 1975, and 56 as a catcher, where he would go on to become one of the greatest to play the position. He stood out when he played the outfield because he wore a batting helmet to field the position, and the Expos’ helmets were completely blue in 1975, in contrast to their signature tri-color caps. Montreal changed to tri-color batting helmets in 1976. Carter wore the #57 when he played nine games for the Expos in 1974.
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