New York Yankees Batting Helmet Attributed to Roger Maris

Purchased from Yankees helmet supplier and conditioner in 1961 and remained in family's possession since.

Sotheby's is proud to present this batting helmet, attributed to Roger Maris.

The lot is accompanied by a Letter of Authentication from John Taube and Letter of Provenance from the son of the original owner.

Going Deeper | M&M Boys

“[Anyone else] could have hit a homer that won the game, and it would still say ‘what the M&M boys did’ in the headlines.”

During the summer of ‘61, a year when young stars such as Frank Robinson and Roberto Clemente were ascending while inner circle talents like Hank Aaron and Willie Mays were thriving in their prime, the story of the season was being written in the Bronx. A challenge was being mounted to take on the single-season home run record, which had stood with the same man since the outbreak of the Great Depression. As fate would have it, the men striving for the honor also wore pinstripes.

Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, known by fans, the media, and teammates alike as the “M&M Boys,” commanded a Yankee outfield that won back-to-back titles in 1961 and 1962 in the midst of five straight American League pennant seasons. Maris and Mantle combined to take home three straight MVPs as teammates, with Mickey finishing as a runner up twice and together totaled 26 All-Star appearances in pinstripes.

Various greats, such as Hank Greenberg and Jimmie Foxx, had campaigns that came within range of beating Babe Ruth’s long standing record of 60 home runs set in 1927, but never before had there been a season where two players had put the mark under siege.

The world began to clue in to the chance at history when Roger and Mickey had 27 and 25 home runs apiece by the end of June, before even the halfway mark in the season. As reporters and attention started to train in on the pair, their contrasting styles were apparent. Mickey, ever the character, had been a center of attention since bursting onto the scene in 1951 and winning consecutive MVPs in his ‘56 and ‘57 campaigns. Roger, true to his midwestern roots, was known for blunt truths that often “jarred and upset” those in the media and put him in stark contrast to “The Mick.”

The pressure would continue to be ratcheted up on the pair by then-commissioner Ford Frick who threatened to delegitimize the record should it be broken in more than the 154 games that it took Ruth to set it. In seeking to preserve the legacy of Ruth, Frick added fuel to the fire and unwittingly pushed the chase into the center of public scrutiny.

Entering September, Maris and Mantle (51 and 48 homers each) seemed destined to fight together until the final pitch. For Mickey, however, his season would end in disaster as a slew of ailments resulting in his hospitalization would leave him short at just 54 knocks and set Maris up for a solo run towards history.

On September 26, Maris tied the record with a shot to Yankee Stadium’s upper deck against the Baltimore Orioles.

On the afternoon of October 1st, the final game of the season, Maris came to the plate in the 4th inning facing the Boston Red Sox. On a 2-0 count, he sent a ball deep into the stands in right field and took a historic trot around the bases. Despite it being uncommon for the era, fans pleaded for him to make a curtain call from the dugout and after a minute he came out and waved to the crowd, with radio broadcaster and hall of famer Phil Rizzuto remarking that it was “one of the greatest things” he has ever seen at Yankee Stadium.