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Lonny Frey Professional Baseball Collection

Value (2020) | $35,000 Auction – $75,000 Insurance
Watch  

APPRAISER:
I've heard of Babe Ruth, I've heard of Lou Gehrig. I've heard of Joe DiMaggio. But you have to tell me, who's Lonny Frey?

GUEST:
Well, he's still living, he's 97 years old. He started out as a shortstop at age 22 with Brooklyn.

APPRAISER:
How do you know all this?

GUEST:
Because he's my dad.

APPRAISER:
Ah!

GUEST:
And he still talks baseball to me once in a while.

APPRAISER:
So he played how many years in the Big Leagues?

GUEST:
14 years. He actually played for all three New York teams. He's the last surviving ballplayer to have done that. He spent most of his career with Cincinnati, and that was where he probably had his best years.

APPRAISER:
He was an All-Star for three years.

GUEST:
Right, and he played in two World Series with Cincinnati, and at the end of his career, he played with the Yankees in a World Series.

APPRAISER:
Wow. We've got this bat here. This is from 1933, this is the start of his career.

GUEST:
Right.

APPRAISER:
He was there from '33 to '36.

GUEST:
Yeah.

APPRAISER:
Not a great situation. They were fifth, sixth place. Much better when he went to Cincinnati.

GUEST:
Exactly.

APPRAISER:
Because when he was in Cincinnati-- if I recall correctly, 1938-- he got to play behind Johnny Vander Meer during his two consecutive no-hitters.

GUEST:
That's exactly right. And that was one of his all-time career thrills.

APPRAISER:
And he got this Joe Jackson store model bat during the '30s when he was playing for Cinci. Even though he was in Cincinnati for two World Series...

GUEST:
Right.

APPRAISER:
...I think he saved the best for last. We've got 1947, World Champions, Yankees. Who was his roommate?

GUEST:
Yogi Berra.

APPRAISER:
And what did he think of Yogi?

GUEST:
Well, they're really good friends.

APPRAISER:
(chuckles)

GUEST:
But he roomed with Yogi because Yogi ate a lot of pasta and he was losing a lot of weight.

APPRAISER:
Uh-huh.

GUEST:
And they needed somebody to get him to eat regular meals, steak and potatoes and so forth.

APPRAISER:
So '47, he's at the end, he was the oldest player in the league in '47 and '48...

GUEST:
That's right.

APPRAISER:
...when he finished up with the Giants.

GUEST:
Right.

APPRAISER:
Let's take a look at everything for prices. This is the bat that the Brooklyn Dodgers would have given your dad in honor of their Golden Jubilee, 50 years in baseball, and the value on this, auction estimate would be $1,000 to $1,500. Now, this bat was given to your dad because he was on the World Championship New York Yankees in 1947. The value on that is $2,000 to $3,000 that I'd put as an auction estimate. This is your dad's All-Star bat from 1941. Now, these bats were only given out to the players and the coaches and the manager of the All-Star teams.

GUEST:
Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER:
And they have these fabulous facsimile signatures on there. You can see your father right here, Lonny Frey.

GUEST:
Right.

APPRAISER:
And the value on these bats generally, $2,000 to $3,000 auction estimate. The Joe Jackson bat is probably worth about $3,000 to $4,000. This watch was given for winning the World Series, but also because they set the American League record that year with 19 straight wins. This watch is probably worth about $3,000 to $4,000. The Mets watch is probably about $1,000 to $2,000, but the ring is the real big winner-- I mean, a '47 World Series ring is as good as it gets: Yankees and Dodgers, the epitome of New York, that's $15,000 to $20,000.

GUEST:
Oh, my Lord.

APPRAISER:
So you add all these things up and you get a grand total of probably about $25,000 to $30,000.

GUEST:
That's wonderful, and... This is stuff that we've handed down and will hand down in the family. But it's nice to know, because we should insure it or do something like that.

APPRAISER:
If you were going to insure all of this...

GUEST:
Yes.

APPRAISER:
I'd place an insurance value of about $50,000.

GUEST:
That's amazing.

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Leila Dunbar
Collectibles, Sports Memorabilia
Leila Dunbar Appraisals & Consulting, LLC
Washington, DC
Update (2020)
$35,000 Auction – $75,000 Insurance
Appraised value (2007)
$25,000 Auction – $50,000 Insurance
Featured In
Spokane, Hour 1 (#1210)
Vintage Spokane, Hour 2 (#2509)
Event
Spokane, WA (August 04, 2007)
Category
Sports Memorabilia
Period
20th Century
Form
Baseball Bat , Ring , Wrist Watch
Material
Metal , Wood

Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.

Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."

Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.

Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.

Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.

Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.

Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.

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