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Hall of Famer Jerry Lucas auctioning off his college jerseys, gold medal

Jerry Lucas

Jerry Lucas waves to the crowd during a ceremony to honor the 1972-73 world champion New York Knicks team during an NBA basketball game between the Knicks and the Milwaukee Bucks, Friday, April 5, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

AP

Jerry Lucas is getting rid of a few things. And they can be yours for the right price.

The former Ohio State All-American is auctioning off select memorabilia, including his 1960 College All-Star Game jersey, one of his game-worn shooting shirts from Ohio State, his 1960 national championship ring and his Ohio State Hall of Fame plaque.

He’s also selling off his 1960 Olympic gold medal and his Olympic jersey. In total, 17 items are going up for sale from his college, Olympic and pro basketball career and they also include NBA All-Star Game and regular game jerseys, championship rings and an Olympic flag.

Lucas, 73, doesn’t seem too upset to be parting with so many pieces of basketball history, according to the Middletown (Ohio) Journal, Lucas’ hometown newspaper.
“Things don’t mean a lot to me,” he said. “They never have. I have real great memories associated with them, but they’re hard to see when they’re in a closet.”

The prices for these classic items are expected to be, shall we say, high? Especially the gold medal.

Russek said every item will have a minimum bid, and if they only brought their reserve, they would sell for $531,500.

The most expensive item probably will be the gold medal, which has a reserve of $250,000, Russek said. He refused to guess what it may sell for, saying “the market will dictate the price.”

He said the medal will be the first one ever sold at auction, and because Lucas is a Hall of Famer, makes it only more valuable.


This seems to be a trend for former Ohio State players of the late 50s. Bobby Knight also auctioned off a lot of items for his grandkids financial benefit last October.

I can see Lucas’ rationale here. He’s reached the point in his life when material things aren’t a big deal, as we’ve heard before from guys like Knight. He has the memories and that’s enough for him. The online auction began today and runs through Sept. 7, at which point there will be a live auction for still unpurchased items after the Basketball Hall of Fame inductions.

With that being said....anyone want to let me borrow a few thousand bucks?

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