NEW YORK, NY.- On June 7, Bonhams Fine Books and Manuscripts sale will offer a fascinating collection of 42 objects and papers relating to the ownership and management of the New York Yankees Baseball Club. The collection, from the property of the former owner of the Yankees, Daniel Reid Topping, includes a variety of extraordinary Yankee material: the guestbook for the Owners box 1958-62, (estimate: $8,000-12,000), a trophy ball signed by legends of the game Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Goose Goslin, and Hank Aaron, (estimate: $9,000-12,000), contracts for George Weiss, Roy Hamey and Ralph Houk, Dan’s personalized Hamilton wristwatch issued to celebrate the 1947 World Series victory (estimate: $5,000-8,000), as well as numerous special Yankee Press pins, cufflinks, Old Timers Day and Christmas gifts.

The Golden Age in Yankees folklore was 1945-64 and in those 19 years the team won 15 American pennants, 10 World Series, including the five straight World Series 1949-53 in the age of Lou Gehrig, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, and Joe DiMaggio. The collection, consigned by the family, comprises of the contents of Dan Toppings office at 57th and 5th Avenue in New York City, his desk, the pictures that hung around the walls, his personalized Yankees silverware and watches, the guestbook for the owner’s box, and the contents of his large grey filing cabinets.

Dan Topping (1912-1974) was a larger than life figure, a sportsman, a businessman, the grandson of two industrial giants, who at 22 owned a share in the Dodgers football team. After service in the Pacific in World War II in 1945 he acquired, with a business partner, the Yankees Baseball Club, and owned it until 1964 when it was sold to CBS Network. When Dan bought the club in 1945, he set about reorganizing the structure through careful management of the club, the staff and the players and brought about a real camaraderie in the roster. Dan boosted the marketing department, and improved the management structures, in a business-like way. After 1966, his office was closed in New York and moved into Dan’s old home, until 20 years ago when it was about to be discarded, his son jumped in to save it.