Historical Hockey and Sports Memorabilia Auction April 2024
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/1/2024
A fixture in hockey for well over thirty (30) years, including fourteen (14) season in the National Hockey League with both the original iteration of the Ottawa Senators and New York Rangers, Frank Boucher would win a pair of Stanley Cup championships in his time as well as seven (7) Lady Byng Trophy's. Also having coached his beloved Rangers for a total of eleven (11) seasons, winning another Stanley Cup in 1940 in his first year as the team's bench boss, Boucher, one of the game's great innovators, would be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1958. Originally presented to the legendary star, we have Boucher's personal 'The Trail of the Stanley Cup' three-volume matching-numbered leather-bound set. 'The Trail of the Stanley Cup' is a definite prerequisite to any important hockey library. Author Charles Coleman's complete history of hockey and Lord Stanley's trophy from 1893 to 1967 is contained within these three books. Only 1,000 copies of the special leather-bound editions of the first and second volumes were produced and presented to important hockey figures, while the third was limited to 1,500 copies. Each numbered "114" on the interior, a once detached but taped down "Frank Boucher" National Hockey League bookplate is present inside the front cover of the book labeled "Vol. 1". Each accompanied by their original black slipcases that have images of the Stanley Cup bowl over the fronts, with this repeated on the cover of each book as well, the books are found to be in overall good to excellent condition with some foxing observed over the covers and pages in areas of all three (3) books while the slip covers sport light wear as well, mostly to the bottoms, edges and corners in the form of scuffs and dings/creases.
Instrumental to the hobby as one of the founders of the MeiGray Group in 1997, a hobby entity paramount in the authentication of game-worn jerseys and equipment, pioneer collector Barry Meisel enjoyed almost two decades as a successful sports journalist. Beginning with his days interning for the Binghamton Evening Press while a senior in college, Meisel explains how his passion for collecting was fueled, stating “My plan was to get a game-worn jersey for every team I covered once I became a pro hockey writer. I got a Barons, then a Broome Dusters, Binghamton Whalers, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers. It was the late '80s. My first career was born. From the Binghamton Press and Sun-Bulletin to the Morristown, NJ, Daily Record, to the New York Daily News”.
In his dozen years with the New York Daily News, Meisel covered the New York Islanders, New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils and New York Giants. He also spent the early-1990s serving as the News’ investigative sports reporter, with additional time as a columnist for The Hockey News (1982-90) and The New York Giants Newsweekly (1990-96), with a few book authored including 'Losing the Edge: The Rise and Fall of the Stanley Cup Champion New York Rangers’. Despite building a vast and encompassing grouping of items, Meisel notes, "I have my favorites. The Scotty Press that still sits in my home office. My 1983-84 Detroit Red Wings Ken Holland, the minor-league goalie in Binghamton who became a lifelong friend, and who had a cup of NHL coffee before becoming a Hall of Fame General Manager. And my 1994 Stanley Cup Finals New York Rangers white Craig MacTavish, who was wearing this jersey in Game 7 at Madison Square Garden on June 14, 1994. MacT knocked the final faceoff into the corner with 1.6 seconds left on a 54-year Jinx, the night the Rangers allowed the Monster of MSG to one day Die in Peace. This jersey is on display at the Garden, to remind every Blue Seater from old Section 433 that the wait was worth it”.
Classic Auctions in honoured to have been chosen to sell the Barry Meisel personal collection, with dozens of high-quality jerseys offered including an endless supply of important New York Rangers specimens from Rod Gilbert, Peter Sundstrom, James Patrick, Mark Tinordi, Kris King and other Blueshirts as well as WHA jerseys from the Indianapolis Racers, Quebec Nordiques and Ottawa Nationals. Additional gems that will have bidders salivating includes Peter McDuff’s 1973-74 AHL Providence Reds game-worn home and away jerseys, bobble head dolls, important programs and other assorted memorabilia.
As always, we hope these long-loved treasures find new appreciative collectors, with Meisel stating it best, “It's time for Classic Collectibles and my good friend Marc Juteau to help me find my gamers new homes. Time for others to enjoy the greatest hobby alive."
By clicking this button, you will IMMEDIATELY bid the amount selected.
By clicking this button, you will submit this amount as your MAXIMUM (absentee) bid. The auction software will place bids on your behalf up to this amount only as it is bid against competitively by other bidder(s).