Summer Premier Auction 2014
Wed, Aug 6, 2014 08:00PM EDT - Sun, Aug 24, 2014 11:00AM EDT
Timed Auction
Lot 429
PARRY O'BRIEN'S AUTOGRAPHED SHOT PUT USED TO BREAK 5 WORLD RECORDS INDOORS 1953-58 (NSM COLLECTION)
Unsold
Bid Increments
| Price | Bid Increment |
|---|---|
| $200 | $25 |
| $500 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $100 |
| $3,000 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $2,000 |
| $30,000 | $2,500 |
| $50,000 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 | $20,000 |
| $300,000 | $25,000 |
| $500,000 | $50,000 |
ADDENDUM: THIS SHOT PUT WAS USED BY PARRY O'BRIEN DURING INDOOR TRACK COMPETITION TO BREAK FIVE WORLD RECORDS. IT WAS NOT USED IN 1956 OLYMPIC GAMES AS STATED IN CATALOG.
Here we have an amazing piece of American sports history: the indoor shot put used by 2-time Olympic champion William Patrick "Parry" O'Brien to break 5 world records. Parry O'Brien is considered the greatest shot putter of all time. He competed in four consecutive Summer Olympics (1952-1964) where he won two gold medals (1952 Helsinki 1956) and one silver medal (1960 Rome). He placed fourth in Tokyo in the 1964 Games. In the early 1950s while competing for USC O'Brien invented the method used today of facing the opposite direction and spinning 180 degrees to throw the shot. Known as "O'Brien Style" or the "O'Brien Glide" this revolutionary technique helped him win 116 consecutive meets and set the world record a total of 17 times (indoors & outdoors combined). He held the world record from 1953 to 1959 and was the first to launch the 16-pound shot more than 60 feet. For all of his athletic feats and everlasting contributions to the sport of track and field O'Brien was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1984. A lifelong athlete O'Brien died of a heart attack in 2007 at the age of 75 while competing in a Southern California masters swimming event.
The once circular now more oval-shaped shot put weighs exactly 16 lb. and is covered in leather like a baseball but with leather stitching instead. This design is specifically for indoor meets. It presents well on a 4" x 6" by 6" wooden display holder with a self-adhesive nameplate that reads "1953-58 PARRY O'BRIEN 5 WORLD RECORDS" indicating the number of times he launched this shot a world-record distance indoors. O'Brien has autographed the dark brown colored shot in bold 9/10 black marker. The condition of the shot is good overall slightly deformed and flat on the bottom from the years it has spent resting on the wooden stand in the museum where it was displayed. It also comes with a signed and matted 8" by 10" black and white photo of O'Brien competing as a USC Trojan.
Includes a Letter of Provenance from the Newport Sports Museum.
Autograph pre-certified by PSA/DNA.
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