DALLAS, TX.- A collection of jerseys and Type 1 photographs from the personal collection of the longtime official photographer of the San Francisco 49ers and Athletics and celebrated rock’n’roll photographer will be brought into focus when they cross the auction block at the Summer Platinum Night Sports Auction August 21-23 at Heritage Auctions.

The 27-lot Michael Zagaris Collection includes jerseys from the likes of 49er greats like Joe Montana, John Taylor, Ronnie Lott and Dwight Clark. It also features Type 1 photographs of 49ers like Montana and head coach Bill Walsh, then-Oakland Raiders like legendary coach John Madden and quarterback Ken Stabler, and iconic musicians like The Who and the Rolling Stones.

A Type 1 photograph is a first-generation print developed directly from the original negative within approximately two years of when the photo was taken, making it highly authentic and valuable, and often coveted by serious collectors.

“I wanted to be at every game — more than shooting, but [also] bearing witness, like you’re part of the game,” Zagaris says, “and much like a wartime photographer, it wasn’t enough to [just] take the pictures. I wanted to live it, I wanted to be part of it, I wanted to bear witness.

“That’s how I started, and when Bill Walsh became coach of the 49ers, I approached him. I knew he was a man of letters, he was a student of history, and I pitched him [the idea] that I thought he was going to do great things. I thought it was important to document this, not just for the team and for the league, but for history. I wanted to shoot it as a presidential photographer would shoot it, but in order to do that, I would have to have total access — be on the buses, on the plane, in the locker room, pregame, halftime, postgame. I want to be able to record it all.”





Record it all, he did. Zagaris became the 49ers’ team photographer in 1973, and took on the same title for the Athletics in 1971. He covered more than 40 Super Bowls and 12 World Series, as well as iconic performances and behind-the-scenes images from legendary musicians like the Stones, The Who, The Grateful Dead, Tom Petty, The Clash and Blondie.

“Michael Zagaris is one of the most renowned sports and cultural photographers, who incorporated an artistic element to his incredible photography, using lighting and angles to create the best vantage points of the subjects he was shooting, and it came through in the images Heritage is offering in this auction,” says Chris Nerat, Consignment Director at Heritage Auctions. “He had a knack for being in the right place at the right time. Even now, he speaks about his profession with the same amount of passion and excitement as he probably did the day he started. He is one of those guys who … you just can’t help but want something he did.”