Press Release

Excited for Baseball Season? Rare Baseball Memorabilia Comes to Auction at Freeman’s

The Collection of Jeffrey Kenneth Kohn, MD

With April 1 marking the opening of baseball season, Freeman’s is pleased to offer the Collection of Jeffrey Kenneth Kohn, MD in our April 27 American Furniture, Folk & Decorative Arts auction. The single-owner collection features an array of nineteenth and twentieth century baseball memorabilia. Browse the collection to view a selection of steel baseball glove manufacturing patterns from M. Denkert & Company, assemblage displays of catcher’s masks, bats and balls, and other novelty items.

An American Craft: The Making of Baseball History

Lot 234 | A collection of ten steel baseball glove manufacturing patterns, M. Denkert & Company, $5,000-8,000

The M. Denkert Company was founded in 1909 by Mitchell Denkert (Russian/American, 1866-1950) in Johnstown, NY. Denkert manufactured a variety of leather sporting goods but specialized in baseball gloves. The company was known for innovative and quality designs, dyed their gloves in unique colors, and held four different baseball glove patents—including one that improved the lacing between fingers and one for the development of “pockets” meant to improve fielding.

Denkert gloves were endorsed by some of Major League baseball's most famous players including Stan Musial, Mickey Mantle, Phil Rizzuto, Bobby Richardson, Bobby Brown, Charlie Keller, Pee Wee Reese, Gil Hodges, and Moose Skowron.

Lot 235 | A collection of ten steel baseball glove manufacturing patterns, M. Denkert & Company, $5,000-8,000

Freeman’s will offer two lots of manufacturing patterns from M. Denkert & Company, each featuring a collection of ten forms.

Lynda Cain, Head of the American Furniture, Folk & Decorative Arts department, said of the unique items:

“We see a lot in these baseball glove patterns. They represent a behind the scenes step in the manufacture of a 20th century icon. Each pattern possesses deep sculptural appeal. That appeal comes with the many back stories of American mass production and the making of the American game.

Lot 242 | A baseball assemblage: including hand-made iron catcher's mask, ring-turned and red and black-painted bat heightened with gold and a red, white and blue canvas baseball, mounted for display, bat possibly Pennsylvania, first half 20th century, $1,500-2,500