Follow the Stories | Tucson, Arizona (2007)

The Original Dream Team

Posted 2.26.07

Bill from Tucson brought in an extraordinary collection of basketball memorabilia from the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. Appraiser Simeon Lipman called the American gold-medal squad "the original dream team."
In nearly pristine condition after spending 50 years in a plastic bag, the basketball is signed by the entire championship team, including future Boston Celtics greats Bill Russell and K.C. Jones.
Bill's father was the team's trainer. He received this medal commemorating his participation in the Games.
The team's assistant coach later sent Bill's father the official scorebook from the championship game — no doubt a highly charged match-up between the USA and the USSR — in which Russell scored 13 points, and Jones 15.
The USA handily won the gold-medal game 89 to 55, capping an Olympics that saw the juggernaut American team defeat every opponent it faced by at least 30 points.
A portrait of the USA team, taken in Melbourne during the 1956 Olympic Games.
Lipman (right) estimated Bill's one-of-a-kind collection at between $8,000 and $10,000 for market value, and recommended that he insure it for around $15,000.

Watch the full appraisal in our ROADSHOW Archive »

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