DiMaggio fan buys trove of collectibles.
Charlotte man to sell thousands of items.
By DAVID PERLMUTT
Staff Writer
The kid lived in Bayonne, N.J., and each summer he and his father drove to the Bronx to see their favorite team, the New York Yankees.
There in the stands, Ralph Perullo marveled at the majestic scene, his hero Joe DiMaggio gracefully gliding around the bases. The end of DiMaggio's career was near. The father lectured the son about what the Yankee Clipper taught everybody back in the old neighborhood:
''You know, Ralph, there are players who run faster than Joe D., who hit the ball farther, but Joe D. does everything better than any other player. So no matter what you do in life, do your best.
''Joe D. takes his job very serious.''
Little Ralph took the lesson to heart. He grew up to become the successful owner of a Charlotte packaging company called Copak and 15 years ago began collecting baseball cards and other memorabilia as a hobby.
Late last week, Perullo paid ''millions'' for what perhaps is the most prestigious haul of baseball memorabilia -- between 10,000 and 20,000 items signed by none other than Joe D.
''This has created an excitement I haven't felt in years,'' said Perullo, 58, an avowed Yankee fanatic. ''I enjoy my company and what we do, but this is something special, something personal, something totally different.''
Tuesday, secured rooms in Perullo's Charlotte warehouse overflowed with rare DiMaggio collectibles, including some bearing his signature and ''Yankee Clipper.''
There are bats, balls, photos, jerseys, all autographed by the famed player who died in March, leaving only memories and an immortal streak -- and his collection. DiMaggio kept several of whatever he signed.
Perullo plans to sell 90 percent to 95 percent of the collection..
''If I kept any more than that, my wife would banish me to the garage,'' he said. This week the collection hits the summer sports-memorabilia circuit, first stop a huge show in Philadelphia that begins Thursday. The collection isn't scheduled to stop in Charlotte.
The deal began about six weeks ago, when a New York dealer named Reeni DeFilippo let Perullo know that part of DiMaggio's estate was for sale.
DeFilippo and Perullo have known each other since Perullo began collecting cards, then photos and lithographs of major league players such as DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams, first as a hobby then as a passion.
She told Perullo that Morris Engelberg, DiMaggio's close friend, neighbor and personal attorney, wanted to sell the collection intact. DiMaggio, Engelberg told Perullo, never would have approved of his estate dividing his property strictly for money.
DiMaggio didn't want his estate to be viewed as trying to make money off his fame. He was afraid his image would be tarnished, Perullo said. However, DiMaggio knew that eventually the memorabilia would be broken up and sold -- he just didn't think it was appropriate for his estate to do it.
Engelberg already had several offers to buy pieces of the collection, but the aging attorney didn't want to deal with the task which could take a year to complete, Perullo said. There was an understanding from the beginning of the negotiations that Perullo would buy the entire collection and then divide it, he said.
''What the estate did not want to do was have 10 to 20 people cherry-picking the items; they wanted to have one individual,'' he said. ''I'm allowed to sell it any shape and form I want to. I've given them my word that I will keep the same professionalism in place that Joe exhibited throughout his life.'' Perullo knew he had stiff competition. Engelberg had already interviewed Christie's auction house, a shop-at-home television network, and other well-financed bidders.
''I thought my chances were minimal at best,'' Perullo said, adding it was worth the price of a plane ticket to Florida to see the collection. When he saw it, he knew he had to have it.
He and Engelberg hit it off.
''I was impressed with Ralph the first time we met,'' Engelberg said. ''He said he wouldn't do anything to hurt Joe's reputation. I trusted him.
'' . . . I know Joe is watching all the moves I make. I know what I did was right.''
Each item comes with a certificate of authenticity on legal stationery from Engelberg's law office. Each has a ''Yankee Legend'' sticker affixed to it.
Perullo estimates it will take 12 to 18 months to finish selling the items; some experts have told him it could go in as little as six.
The collection includes 68 baseballs DiMaggio signed -- some illegibly -- during his last hospitalization for lung cancer. There are also many bats that were a part of a limited edition of 1,941 bats DiMaggio signed several years ago. DiMaggio kept the bats bearing numbers that were meaningful to him. Like No. 56, the number of consecutive games that spanned DiMaggio's remarkable hitting streak.
Perullo will keep No. 56, but plans to sell the others, each for $5,000 to $10,000. He also will keep one of the more than 20 lithographs of DiMaggio by artist LeRoy Neiman, each of the others sold for $10,000 to $15,000.
''I'm still pinching myself,'' Perullo said. ''This brings back so many memories. For the past month, not a day has gone by without me playing catch with my 7-year-old son.''
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The Associated Press contributed to this article. Reach David Perlmutt at (704) 358-5061, or dperlmutt@charlotte.com .
Last Friday, Ralph Perullo closed on a deal that bought between 10,000 and 20,000 items signed by Joe DiMaggio.
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