(Photo: BidAMI Auctions)
An online auction featuring a game-used ball from the historic Pottsville Maroons vs. Notre Dame All-Stars contest in Philadelphia is now live.
In fact, BidAMI Auctions already has a $5,000 bid in on the ball. And experts there believe the ball could go for at least $20,000 when the bidding is finished.
Although there’s only been 1 bid so far, the auction lasts until September 12 at 11 p.m. (Eastern).
$5,000 Bid on Pottsville Maroons Game Used Football
In an update this week, memorabilia expert Kieta, at BidAMI Auctions tells us that Fox News is preparing to do a story on the auction. So that should boost visibility and interest for this extremely rare piece of football history.
This ball, which includes provenance to prove it’s the real deal, was used in the 1925 clash between the Pottsville Maroons of the fledgling NFL and the Notre Dame All-Stars, featuring the school’s famed Four Horsemen.
Of course, the Maroons came out victorious in this game, 9-7, behind the strength of placekicker Charlie Berry’s foot. His late field goal put Pottsville over the top in this highly anticipated exhibition game.
The game was scheduled after what was believed to be the conclusion of the 1925 NFL season. That season was dominated by the Maroons and were declared NFL World Champions.
Pottsville was warned against playing this game against Notre Dame, especially on neutral soil. The home field owners at the time, the Frankford Yellow Jackets (now the Philadelphia Eagles), were upset that the Maroons didn’t give them any of the money collected at the gate for this game. So, they logged a complaint with the league.
The NFL responded by devising a way to strip the Maroons of their title, having the Chicago Cardinals play a walkover game to give them the best record in the league and honoring them as the champions.
Pottsville has tried several times to get the NFL to recognize them as the true champions of the 1925 season but have obviously been unsuccessful.
If you want to get in on the bidding action and own a unique piece of NFL and Pottsville history, check out the auction page.
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Game Used Pottsville Maroons Ball Expected to Bring Up to $60K at Auction
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David Silcox
August 25, 2020 at 7:03 pm
The Maroon owner was warned by the Commissioner of the NFL that they would be barred from the NFL if they proceeded to play the exhibition game. This warning was published in all of the big city newspapers BEFORE the game but the Maroon owner wanted the gate proceeds and proceeded to play. There are a lot of “stories” about this but facts are facts!