Dodgers Blue Heaven: Dodger Stock Certificate Available for Sale at Legendary Auctions

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Dodger Stock Certificate Available for Sale at Legendary Auctions

Ephemera is a broad branch of collecting that is not well known, but is something most sports collectors are active participants in. It typically consist of paper (printed) items that were originally meant to be discarded after their intended use. Although, that is a bit of an antiquated definition. Maybe the best explanation I've read is from noted collector Maurice Rickards who said that ephemera is “minor transient documents of everyday life.” This could be flyers, business cards, calendars or event tickets. These days ephemera collecting has expanded even further towards certificates, bank notes, letters and even trading cards.

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Featured here are a couple of unique ephemera items related to the Dodgers that I wanted to point out. They are currently available for sale through Legendary Auctions and will be closing next week.

Directly below is a 1966 letter from National League President Warren Giles to Dodger owner Walter O'Malley. In the letter he officially notifies O'Malley that the Dodgers are the victors of the National League. It seems a bit odd to me that this is something O'Malley has to be told, but I guess official recognition is required.

(Auction Link)

This next item is just plain awesome. Below is a Brooklyn Dodgers ownership stock certificate dated June 18, 1948 and signed by team President Branch Rickey. It is for 10 shares of stock and has been issued to Marie McKeever Mulvey. BTW, Marie has signed the certificate on the reverse.

Marie, or Dearie as she was known to friends, was the daughter of construction contractor Stephen McKeever. As you may know, Stephen and his brother Ed partnered up with Charles Ebbets to build Ebbets Field; taking a significant ownership stake in the process. Together with Ebbets they continued to operate the franchise until Charles Ebbets died in 1925. Thereafter, the McKeever's became the primary operators of the club until Stephen's death in 1938.

At that point, Dearie became an owner of the team; along with the Brooklyn Trust Company (owners of the estate of Charles Ebbets) who had designated Walter O'Malley as their overseer. She maintained significant ownership in the club until her death in 1968, at which time her husband took control until he sold the family's final shares to O'Malley in 1975. BTW, her husband was James Mulvey, who was once President of Samuel Goldwyn Productions.

I wonder if I went to Stan Kasten with this document, would he grant me part ownership in the club? Do you think I could finagle my way into the ownership box?

Yeah, probably not.