Fall Premier Auction 2014
Wed, Nov 19, 2014 09:00PM EST - Sun, Dec 7, 2014 12:00PM EST
Timed Auction
Lot 776
1929-31 COLLEGE FOOTBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY "THE ALBERT RUSSEL ERSKINE TROPHY" HONORING TITLES WON BY NOTRE DAME (1929-30) & USC (1931) AND
Sold for
$20,724
Sold Price includes BP
Bid Increments
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| $5,000 | $500 |
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| $500,000 | $50,000 |
In the 1920s American businessman and Studebaker Corporation President Albert Russel Erskine served on the Board of Trustees of the University of Notre Dame where his son Albert Jr. studied. He took a strong interest in college football and initiated in 1929 the Albert Russel Erskine Award for the best team of the year. The winner was chosen by a panel of American sportswriters whose methods are still used to select the college football national champion to this day. Presented here is the original silver-plated trophy dubbed The Albert Russel Erskine Trophy conceived by Erskine to honor the best team in college football annually. The award bears special engravings on the front recognizing the national championship teams from 1929 to 31: Notre Dame (1929 and 30) and USC (1931). The grandiose trophy which stands 21 tall 21 wide and weighs 16-and-a-half pounds is an impressive piece of artistic craftsmanship. The oversized goblet plated by Reed & Barton boasts rings of raised olive leaves around its base as well as around the top of the trophys cup. A pair of very ornate handles can be found on either side. Engraved across the front is the following passage: THE ALBERT RUSSEL ERSKINE TROPHY FOR THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP AS DETERMINED BY AMERICAN SPORTSWRITERS. Accompanying the trophy is a special "ALBERT RUSSEL ERSKINE AWARD" scroll/certificate that was awarded to USC Head Coach Howard Jones for winning the 1931 National Championship. Committee members of the board that presented the award read like a regular "Who's Who" of important Americans at the time including Avery Brundage Robert T. "Bobby" Jones Jr. Douglas MacArthur Connie Mack Theodore Roosevelt and Wm. Wrigley Jr.
An accompanying image captured in 1932 shows legendary USC coach Howard Jones standing next to his car with both this trophy and his young daughter displayed proudly on its hood. This is undoubtedly one of if not the most significant college football trophies ever offered at public auction. Its historical importance is matched by its physical presence
Includes a Letter of Provenance from the Newport Sports Museum.
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