Two rare Boston Red Sox pennants belonging to baseball statistician Frank J. Willams are among some 40 unique items in EJ’s Auction & Appraisal’s annual New Year Auction on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025 in Glendale.

While the auction includes fine art, antiques and vintage collectibles, the late Williams’ 1915 and 1916 Red Sox pennants are noteworthy, particularly since the 1915 pennant has appliquéd felt lettering instead of paint, and it is only one of three known to exist.

The 1916 Red Sox American League Champions pennant refers to the club as American League Champions and not World Champions, which suggests that this pennant was specially produced for sale at the 1916 World Series.

“Frank John Williams was an expert source on the history of baseball pitching. His major work involved correcting and compiling day-by-day pitching won-loss decisions for all American League pitchers for 1901 to 1919,” stated Erik Hoyer, CEO of Glendale-based EJ’s Auction & Appraisal, in a press release. 

Bidding is open now for EJ’s Auction & Appraisal’s Jan. 4 New Year Auction. The auction house holds “the best of the best” back for this annual online auction, which features fine art, antiques and high-end collectibles.

EJ’s conducts online auctions at 10 a.m. every Saturday and is open for preview from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and Saturday morning at 9 a.m. prior to each weekly auction.

Interested bidders can preview items at the auction house, 5880 W. Bell Road, in Glendale, or request to see condition reports. For details, visit www.ejsauction.com or call 623-878-2003.

Laurie Ramsey, Williams’ niece, said her uncle grew up in Bridgeport, Conn. and moved to Central Phoenix in 2008 to be closer to her family.

“I am so proud of his legacy,” Ramsey stated. “He was an old-style bank accounting officer who spent his spare time researching baseball history and doing manual tabulations by hand. When he moved here, we took him to just one baseball game because he didn’t have to be present to enjoy the game. He also loved the history, the people and the numbers.”

Ramsey has fond memories of visiting Cooperstown with her uncle during family vacations.

According to an October 1990 Bridgeport Post article written by Michael J. Daly, Williams once found an error in the record of Cy Young, lowering his games won total from 511 to 510. Later, though, he found some discrepancies that raised Young’s record back to 511.

“He was never looking to hurt anyone’s record. He just wanted to make sure historical records were accurate,” Ramsey stated.

Williams never married – the love of his life passed away at a young age from breast cancer. Ramsey said she thinks his passion for baseball history helped him deal with his grief.

“He was passionate about all the Boston teams, and he even had incredible knowledge about the Boston Beaneaters, which are known now as the Atlanta Braves. While he researched other teams on the East Coast, including football and hockey, he had a love for old-time baseball,” she stated.

Ramsey said that while Williams corresponded with baseball legends Waite Hoyt and Harry Hooper, it was his seven-year friendship with Smoky Joe Wood that he treasured most.

In early 2021, Williams had finished his life’s work of submitting all his corrections to the record books, and he passed away later that year. While sorting through boxes of his memorabilia, including old baseballs, signed autographs and baseball cards, she said she gained a greater appreciation for his work.

“He gave us a glimpse into an era that doesn’t exist today. He told us about a baseball player that didn’t do well one year, so he gave part of his salary back. He shared the story of when Smoky Joe Wood got injured. Wood was so eager to return to baseball that he was willing to play any position and even be the water boy. Those things would never happen today,” Ramsey said.