Barry Halper, 66; Avid Collector of Baseball Memorabilia

Barry Halper, 66, owner of one of the most extensive collections of baseball memorabilia and a limited partner in the New York Yankees, died Sunday at a medical center in Livingston, N.Y. He had suffered from diabetes.

A portion of Halper’s collection was acquired by Major League Baseball and donated to the Hall of Fame in 1998. He also fetched $21.8 million -- a record for sports memorabilia -- during a weeklong auction at Sotheby’s in 1999. Included in that sale was a game-used Mickey Mantle glove that actor-comedian Billy Crystal purchased for $239,000.

Halper amassed 80,000 items, including uniforms of many Hall of Famers, an original ticket from the first World Series in 1903 and the jersey Lou Gehrig wore when he delivered his farewell speech at Yankee Stadium in 1939. He also owned oddities such as the false teeth worn by Ty Cobb, one of baseball’s all-time great hitters.

Also in Halper’s collection were uniforms worn by Cobb, Walter Johnson, Cy Young and Mantle, during his 1951 rookie season. Halper also had the contract finalizing the sale of Babe Ruth from the Boston Red Sox to the Yankees, and a rare Honus Wagner baseball card.