DALLAS, TX.- One of the superlatives that captures the attention, and bids, of many serious collectors is when an item is the first of something, such as the first jersey that a player wears during his rookie season.

The photo-matched 1959 Wilt Chamberlain Game-Worn Philadelphia Warriors Rookie Jersey and Shorts are in play Feb. 28-March 1 in Heritage’s Winter Platinum Night Sports Auction is relics from what is universally regarded as the greatest rookie season in NBA history — and perhaps in any sport.

During his rookie campaign, Chamberlain set the single-season scoring record and rebounding record en route to being named the NBA’s Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player. This uniform from that incredible debut season was acquired directly from Chamberlain decades ago, and it has been photo-matched to every home game the Warriors played that season.

“It has been said that no big man ever has dominated the NBA the way Wilt Chamberlain did, and most feel nobody ever will again,” says Chris Ivy, Heritage’s Director of Sports Auctions. “He really was something of a unicorn in his era: There were very few who were close to him in size, and the biggest players at the time didn’t come close to his athleticism and sheer talent, so he was able to dominate at a level rarely seen before or since.”

Chamberlain’s scoring average of 37.6 points per game in the 1959-60 season still stands, 65 years later, as the fourth-highest single-season scoring average in league history. He owns the top four single-season averages in league history, and five of the top six. He was similarly dominant on the glass: His average of 27.0 rebounds per game as a rookie remains the second-highest single-season mark in NBA history, barely trailing his record 27.2 that he averaged the following season. As in scoring, Chamberlain stands alone among the greatest rebounders in history, with six of the seven best and seven of the top 11 seasons in league history.

Also among the event’s top attractions is a 1909 T206 Sweet Caporal Honus Wagner (The Garagiola Wagner) SGC Authentic. Wagner cards always are in exceedingly high demand — partly because his status as one of the greatest players in the history of the game, but also because of his refusal of the American Tobacco Company’s request for permission to use his image as a promotional tool. This magnificent card is made even more appealing to the most serious of collectors because of the fact that it was owned by Baseball Hall of Fame member Joe Garagiola, the former nine-year MLB veteran who is known best for the decades he spent after his playing career as a beloved broadcaster. According to his son, Garagiola acquired this card in one of the most lopsided trades in sports history: a transaction that included his 1954 New York Giants uniform.

For those collectors who are drawn to items that are the earliest and the best, a top attraction will be a 1915 Babe Ruth Original Rookie Photograph by G.T. Murray Studios, PSA/DNA Type 1. One of the very earliest photographs of the legendary slugger who still is the most significant figure in baseball collecting, it comes from the Boston Red Sox’ 1915 visit to Hot Springs, Arkansas, for spring training. At the time this photo was taken, the player many still consider the greatest of all time was exactly four games into his legendary career. Photos of the 1914 Red Sox are virtually unknown, making this 8-by-6-inch 1915 preseason image one of a handful of Ruth photos in a Major League uniform that was taken before he hit his first MLB home run. It provides the classic Dead Ball Era pitcher’s pose in exceptional clarity. It comes from the personal collection of George Whiteman, who played 25 seasons and briefly shared left field with Ruth. The Sultan of Swat is represented in many lots in this auction, including a 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #181 PSA NM-MT 8, a 1933 Sport Kings Babe Ruth #2 PSA NM-MT 8 and an incredible 1927-28 Babe Ruth & Lou Gehrig Dual-Signed Barnstorming Photograph that captures two of the greatest sluggers in the history of the game.

Gehrig is beloved for his legendary career with the Yankees, a run that included a run of consecutive games played that stood for decades as the longest in the history of the game, but also for delivering one of the most famous and powerful speeches in sports history. When his declining health forced him to retire, the iconic Yankees captain stood in front of a packed crowd July 4, 1939, and bid farewell to the game and to the fans who adored him. In the speech, he famously told the crowd that on that day that despite his illness, he considered himself “the luckiest man on the face of the earth.” Of the more than 60,000 tickets sold for the game, just 10 have survived long enough to make it in to a PSA slab. The 1939 Lou Gehrig Day (Luckiest Man Speech) New York Yankees Ticket Stub, PSA VG-EX 4 (MK) offered in this auction is tied for the highest grade among them.

Basketball’s answer to Ruth, as the sport’s most collectible star, is Michael Jordan, who appears in 97 lots in the auction, a list that includes a unique 1997 Ultra Michael Jordan Masterpiece (1 of 1) #23P PSA NM-MT 8. This 1997 Ultra Masterpiece Michael Jordan is the first one-of-one card ever produced of Jordan. In 1997, Fleer introduced the “Masterpiece” parallel into its Ultra and Flair Showcase brands, pioneering the now-standard one-of-one chase card concept that ended up defining modern card collecting. The significance of this card lies not just in its exclusivity, but also in its role as the origin point of one-of-one scarcity in the hobby. Only one exists, and this auction marks the first time it is being offered to the collecting community at auction. The 1997 Fleer Ultra design is widely regarded as one of the most attractive of the decade. Jordan’s card was issued across several levels: the base version, an unnumbered Gold Medallion, a Platinum Medallion (numbered to 100) and this — the singular Masterpiece parallel. The 1997–98 season marked Jordan’s final run with the Chicago Bulls, a season in which he led the league in scoring with 28.7 points per game, earned his fifth NBA MVP award and captured his sixth NBA title.

Jordan collectors also will want to check out a 1998 Ultra Masterpiece Michael Jordan #85P PSA EX 5 that is a singularly rare one-of-one parallel from Fleer’s 1998-99 Ultra basketball release, created during Jordan’s final season with Chicago and in his last game at Madison Square Garden as a member of the Bulls. As part of the “Masterpiece” parallel set, this card carries the unique serial marking “The Only One of One Masterpiece Edition” on the reverse, despite the fact that this is the higher-ranked among two examples that mysteriously appear in the PSA population. These Masterpiece cards were randomly inserted into hobby boxes and mirror the base set checklist, offering one-of-one versions of both stars and role players from the era.

An important lot from another one of the greatest hardwood Hall of Famers will take flight when a 1984-85 Larry Bird Game-Worn & Signed Boston Celtics MVP Season Jersey crosses the block. This incredible green garment, with Bird’s signature below the No. 33 on the front, has been photo-matched to the 1984-85 season, after which he won his second of three consecutive NBA Most Valuable Player awards. It has been definitively photo-matched to Game 3 of the 1985 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers, which makes it the jersey he was wearing on the cover of the June 10, 1985, cover of Sports Illustrated. Additional analysis suggests probable matches to Game 4 and Game 5 in the series, which Boston lost in six games.

Included among the incredible trove of must-have items is the personal collection of Tom Seaver, the former ace pitcher universally regarded as the greatest player ever to play for the New York Mets. Relics from the three-time Cy Young Award winner who helped turn the lovable losers into world champions include his 1969 New York Mets World Championship Ring, his 1992 Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Plaque, his 1992 Hall of Fame Induction Presentational Bat and many more items from his legendary career. More information about the Seaver collection can be found here.

Also making a run to the auction block in this event is the NFL’s all-time leading rusher: Emmitt Smith. Among the lots featuring the three-time Super Bowl champion are a trio of game-worn items: a 1996 Emmitt Smith Dallas Cowboys Jersey that was photo-matched to the Sept. 2 game against Chicago in which he was injured, a signed pair of turf shoes that have been photo-matched to the Sept. 15, 2002, game against Tennessee and a pair of gloves that were photo-matched to the same game against the Titans — as well as a 1995 Signed Touchdown Ball from the Cowboys’ Jan. 8 divisional playoff game against the Green Bay Packers.

The boxer known simply as “the Greatest” is featured in a pair of dramatic paintings that come directly from the personal collection of one of the greatest promoters in the history of sports: the 1975 “The Thrilla in Manila” Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier III Original Painting by LeRoy Neiman and Neiman’s 1974 “The Rumble in the Jungle” Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman Original Painting, both from The Don King Collection. The artist’s bold, colorful style captures two of the biggest fights in the career of the former world heavyweight champion, each of which King tagged with its own marketing moniker. In each bout, Ali faced off against one of the greatest adversaries in his career. Universally regarded as one of the greatest and most brutal fights in boxing history, the Thrilla in Manila was Ali’s third matchup against former world champion Joe Frazier, while the Rumble in the Jungle pitted Ali against undefeated and undisputed heavyweight champion George Foreman in what was called “arguably the greatest sporting event of the 20th century.” Ali won both bouts.

Boxing collectors also will be drawn to a number of Ali items in the auction, including the gloves he and Henry Cooper II wore in their 1966 bout. The fight marked the second meeting between the two — Ali won both. Each pair bears the initials of the fighter who wore them.

Also from combat inside a ring are a pair of 1985 Hulk Hogan Match-Worn & Signed Boots that have been photo-matched to Wrestlemania I. The most iconic wrestling footwear of all time was worn by Hogan March 31, 1985, at Madison Square Garden in the event that launched professional wrestling into the mainstream. Hogan, already the WWF World Heavyweight Champion at the time, teamed with Mr. T in the main event to defeat “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff.

Collectors of material from the Olympics have a rare opportunity in this auction to acquire an 1896 Athens Summer Olympics First Place Silver Medal. This rarity from the first Modern Games casts a spotlight on how awards have changed over the years: When the Olympics began, gold was not awarded to top competitors. Winners received silver medals, and copper went to those who finished second in the assorted events. Nothing was awarded for third place.