Willie Mays-Signed and Framed Sports Illustrated Cover with Note Celebrating 3,000th Hit
Framed and signed Sports Illustrated cover from July 27, 1970, featuring Willie Mays, with a personalized note celebrating Tony Gwynn’s 3,000th hit, connecting two Hall of Famers who both achieved this milestone against the Montreal Expos.
Description
Framed Sports Illustrated cover, originally published on July 27, 1970, and featuring the legendary Willie Mays. A remarkable piece of memorabilia signed by Mays himself. Known as the “Say Hey Kid,” Mays is widely regarded as one of the greatest all-around players in baseball history. This unique item includes a personalized note from Mays, celebrating Tony Gwynn’s entry into the exclusive 3,000-hit club—a milestone that connects these two Hall of Famers in baseball lore.
Both Mays and Gwynn achieved their 3,000th hits against the Montreal Expos, further intertwining their legacies. Mays, who reached 3,000 hits in 1970, was already a member of this elite group when Gwynn accomplished the feat on August 6, 1999. The mutual respect between these two legends is captured in this signed and inscribed cover, symbolizing the rare company they keep in the game’s history.
For collectors, this framed and signed Sports Illustrated cover, obtained from the Gwynn family and authenticated through TRuEST™ in San Diego, CA, offers a tangible connection between two of baseball’s most iconic hitters. It’s a celebration not just of Tony Gwynn’s remarkable career, but of the lasting impact he had on fellow legends like Willie Mays.
Dimensions: 17.5" x 14.5" x 1"
At the time of its use or awarding, this item was not witnessed by a TRuEST™ authenticator. The provenance has been provided by the Tony Gwynn Estate, which is why it has received our Silver authentication.
TRuEST™ Authentication
The Realest™ empowers partners in sports, music, and film with the industry's most advanced authentication and marketplace technology. As forgeries grow more sophisticated with deepfakes and other emerging threats, protecting the integrity of physical memorabilia has never been more critical. Traditional authentication standards carry significant risk, but The Realest™ takes a proactive approach—partnering directly with teams, artists, and studios to source items at the origin.Our multi-layered, witness-based authentication process—TRuEST™—sets a new standard in the industry, backed by a money-back guarantee. TRuEST™ replaces traditional certificates of authenticity with immutable provenance stored on the blockchain, transparently displaying population data, creation dates, and key item details. This information cannot be altered, backdated, or hacked and remains accessible at all times.
Each item is uniquely fingerprinted using our patent-pending covert markings and holographic technologies, including a tamper-resistant OVD hologram. These security measures ensure The Realest™ can verify authenticity with absolute certainty—now and in the future—while detecting any attempts to alter or counterfeit items using undisclosed, cutting-edge security methods.
