Top 10 Yogi Berra Memorabilia Items

September 18, 2007 on 10:11 am | In Memorabilia, Baseball |

I am a huge Yogi Berra fan. Maybe it’s his incredible record as a player or maybe it’s all those silly yogi-isms we love so much. Either way, here are the top 10 Yogi items for the Berra fans and collectors.

10- Signed Catcher’s Pose Photograph
The photo features Yogi in his catcher’s pose for which he is so famous. He played in 14 World Series games for the Yankees and made the all-star team every year from 1948 – 1962. He received MVP votes in 15 consecutive years and won the award for the American League MVP three times.

9- Framed Photo with medal and game-used baseball piece It’s a nice picture of Yogi but also has a medal and piece of the game ball all framed together. He holds a bat despite blaming the bat for his poor hitting. Famous quote: “I never blame myself when I’m not hitting. I just blame the bat, and if it keeps up, I change bats. After all, if I know it isn’t my fault that I’m not hitting, how can I get mad at myself?”

8- Signed Jersey
Yogi signed this number 8 Yankee’s home jersey. Berra started out in 1946 wearing number 38 but switched to number 35 the next year, and then the following year decided on number 8 which he stuck with for the rest of his career before it was retired in 1972 to honor both Yogi and past catcher Bill Dickey.

7- Engraved Bat
The bat is engraved with YOGI BERRA and Yogi has signed it just to the left of the engraving. He was mostly known for his catching and fielding skills, but as a hitter Yogi excelled as well with batting averages between .27 and .32.

6- Autographed copy of “I Really Didn’t Say Everything I Said” Book His baseball made him famous, his Yogi-isms made him a star. The book has the famous sayings along with insights from Yogi about what he was thinking when he said some of these classic lines. The book also includes rarely seen pictures and comments from friends, family, and teammates.

5- Photograph with Jackie Robinson with “he was out” inscription The scene: 1955 game one of the World Series. In the 8th inning, the Brooklyn Dodgers trailed the Yankees 6-4. Jackie Robinson took off from third base to steal home. He slid in and cloud of dirt went up. The umpire called him safe and the Dodgers went on to win the series. Yogi argued the call and still maintains, as evident by the inscription, that Robinson was out.

4- Yogi Berra and John Larson Signed World Series Photo One of the most notable moments of Berra’s career was in the 1956 World Series; Berra caught Don Larsen’s perfect game. The only no-hitter ever thrown in a postseason game. Following the 27th out, Berra leapt into Larsen’s arms and the moment was captured to become the iconic image that it is today.

3- Signed Ball with “90% of the game is physical, the other half is mental” inscription Another one of Yogi’s famous Yogi-isms. This baseball is autographed by Yogi and bears one of his signature sayings. There are also a few other balls autographed with different sayings if you have a favorite Yogi-ism I havne’t listed.

2- Hand Painted Commemorative Baseball
This baseball is part of a collection by Mike Floyd, LLC. The Limited Edition Series I Collection of baseballs features Babe Ruth, Yogi Berra, and Jackie Robinson. A very limited quantity of these leather baseballs have been made. The ball has a photo-realistic player image which is reduced to fit from hand drawn artwork. Career achievements, awards, and statistics also cover the ball.

1- Autographed Bobble Head Doll
This bobble head is my personal favorite. Yogi signed the bobble head on the base and the figurine features him in the traditional catcher’s position wearing the Yankees uniform. He holds a glove and a ball in his hands. A very low quantity of these are available.

And remember, “if you come to a fork in the road, take it”.