Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith is selling his 13 Gold Gloves and 11 of his All-Star game rings in a November online auction.
Smith will also be selling his 1989 Lou Gehrig award plaque, his 1995 Roberto Clemente award trophy, and 2006 and 2011 Cardinals World Series rings, as well as over 100 pieces of memorabilia from his personal collection.
SCP Auctions, which is based in Laguna Niguel, California, said Smith has decided to sell the collection “as part of his estate and family planning.”
In a statement Tuesday evening, Smith said:
“I am honored to share a portion of the memorabilia from my professional baseball career with fans and collectors. My family and I have decided together which of my pieces to keep and which to share. I will forever cherish every experience associated with earning these awards that I shared with the Cardinal Nation and the baseball community. I hope those who are passionate about collecting and preserving such items will gain a similar measure of joy through their ownership.”
Bidding for the items will begin November 14 and conclude December 1. At the same auction, Hall of Fame basketball coach Bob Knight will be selling his championship rings and Olympic gold medal.
Smith played in 15 All-Star games and won the National League Gold Glove Award as a shortstop every year from 1980 to 1992.
The 57-year-old Mobile, Alabama native played for the San Diego Padres from 1978 to 1981, and for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1982 to 1996. He set a major league record of 8,375 career assists and 1,590 double plays (which was later broken by Omar Vizquel), as well as a National League record of 2,511 games at shortstop.
Ozzie Smith was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on July 28, 2002, after being elected on his first ballot by receiving 91.7 percent of the votes.
