Buyer Beware: Atlanta Braves Attempting to Halt Hank Aaron Memorabilia Auction

The Atlanta Braves are getting involved in a Hank Aaron memorabilia auction to avoid potential fraud.

Atlanta Braves legend Hank Aaron / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Braves sent a cease and desist letter to an auction house on Friday in order to halt an auction for Hank Aaron Memorabilia. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Heritage Auction is set to auction off what is claimed to be the home plate and bases from the night Aaron hit his 715th home run to pass Babe Ruth to become the all-time leader. 

Other items up for auction include a baseball cap, a jersey and one of Aaron’s rookie cards. One of Aaron’s rookie cards is currently going for nearly $250,000 on the Heritage Auctions website. 

This is part of the Heritage Auctions’ Summer Platinum Night Sports Auction that will take place from Aug. 23 to Aug. 25. The Braves have called the authenticity of this memorabilia into question. 

"The Atlanta Braves remain deeply concerned with Heritage’s lack of diligence and complete failure to authenticate the Disputed Items," the letter said. "We are conducting an investigation into the authenticity of the remaining Disputed Items and into how Heritage and any other party came into possession of them. If any of the Disputed Items are found to have been acquired illegally, they are the rightful property of the Atlanta Braves and should be returned to the Atlanta Braves immediately.” 

The Braves have set a deadline of 5 p.m. on Tuesday to have the items removed from the website. 

This is a serious accusation. There are going to be people bidding thousands of dollars to potentially end up with something that isn’t the real thing. However, Heritage Auction responded by stating they are “standing by the authenticity of the memorabilia.” 

So, they’re willing to put their reputation on the line and continue on as planned. It’s a risky move when there are claims as to where the real bases are located. 

The National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, says they have the third base in their museum and was donated by Aaron himself in the 1980s. The second base was said to be sold at a different auction in 2002. 

The bases are expected to bring in over $100,000. The bidding is still active and has currently reached $44,000 on the Heritage Auctions website.