[Mickey Spillane]. Football Helmet, Jersey and Original Team Photographs, Circa 1937-1939. While a night student at Brooklyn College, Mickey, ever an avid sportsman, played football in one of the amateur athletic leagues in Brooklyn. The games were played on Sundays and appear to be a rather lose cadre of amateurs with team names such as the Coney Island Rams, Bengals and All Stars. This superb lot wonderfully represents Spillane's love of sports, well-documented with memorabilia and original photographs.

The group includes: 1) Mickey's leather football helmet marked on the front with his number "12." The helmet is embossed with the Spalding & Brothers maker mark on the front. Two of the cotton webbing liner straps are marked "Spillane" in ink. The exterior exhibits the battle scars acquired through many rough encounters. The interior has some modest storage damage, but the liner is complete and both chin straps present but sadly broken. 2) Heavy cotton football jersey with applied wool felt number "46." The maroon jersey is slightly padded at the elbows. Mickey's number was 12, so this jersey may have been an extra acquired along the way. The jersey is in remarkably good condition with some modest insect damage to the felt numbers. 3) Twenty-eight original photographs providing wonderful views of Mickey and his team mates, including six photo matches of Mickey's football helmet. 4) A small notebook with school notes from his night classes at Brooklyn College (Math, Spanish, Chemistry, Biology, Psychology), sketches of football plays, doodles, football game schedules and a roster of his team mates names and addresses. 5) Small 3.5 x 5 inches notebook with football sketches in the last pages. Mickey was apparently working for Macy's department store at the time as the majority of the notebook is filled with what appears to be inventory records. Of particular note is Mickey's preface to the notebook written in red ink on the first page: "This Book is Important. IF lost, then found - PLEASE / Return to Mickey Spillane, / 28-02 Ditmars Blvd., Astoria, / N.Y. - or - Macy's, Dep't 91. / 17th floor. / If swiped - get it back / fast wise guy." The small notebook is a bit dog-eared but in generally very good condition. From the estate of Mickey Spillane.