By Susan Lulgjuraj | Beckett Football Editor

The Immaculate Reception is a moment in sports that fans won’t ever soon forget. Now, a collector will be able to own a special piece from that game against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Oakland Raiders.

Mike Silverstein, who covered the game for ABC Radio that day, is auctioning his locker room press pass signed by  Steelers Franco Harris, John “Frenchy” Fuqua and Joe Greene.

“I want to share this piece of history with someone else, especially if some good can come out of this and can help an organization,” Silverstein told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The proceeds from the auction will go to benefit the Transitional Services Inc., of Pittsburgh, an organization that helps those with mental disabilities.

According to the report, Silverstein’s brother was born with Down Syndrome and lived at one of TSI’s centers for 26 years.

“We need to take a second look at mental health issues. If the government can’t do anything about it, then we need to step to the plate and do something,” Silverstein told the newspaper.

Click here to view the auction, which has already surpassed $1,500.

Susan Lulgjuraj is an editor of Beckett Football. You can email her here with questions, comments or ideas. Follow her on Twitter here.

By Chris Olds | Beckett Sports Card Monthly Editor

Al Davis, the controversial owner of the Oakland Raiders and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, died on Saturday. He was 82.

A maverick owner whose mantra was “Just win, baby,” Davis built a franchise with an iconic silver- and- black-laced image — one that won three Super Bowls and four conference titles. In the last 15 years, though, his team had just three winning seasons.

Although he was not a player, he was an assistant coach, head coach, GM, owner and the AFL’s commissioner during a life lived in football. He also was a character — and that has led to 15 trading card appearances through the years, according to the Beckett.com database.

Five of Davis’ cards are autographs — two 1/1s from recent years and three certified autographs from landmark sets. He signed 100 cards as part of the Goal Line Hall of Fame Gold series, but it’s his regular signed card from the annual tribute set that fetches the most money. That card sold for as much as $450 before his death.

Davis’ only other autograph can be found in 1992 Pro Line Portraits (Pro line was one of the first NFL products to include a signature in every box) — a card that also sold for as much as $350 before the news.

As a coach Davis appears on just one item, a 1963 Coke Cap – a $100 item from when he led the Chargers. Most other items featuring Davis come from after his 1992 Hall of Fame induction and few typically sell for more than $6, though his 1992 Pro Set card (top) –  a card that typically sells for less than a nickel — fetched $12.50 on eBay this morning in the wake of the news.

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.

By Chris Olds | Beckett Sports Card Monthly Editor

The Topps acquisitions team has apparently been busy of late as the company officially announced a pair of signings for upcoming baseball and football products while  also noting some Hall of Fame-caliber changes to another forthcoming baseball release.

On Friday, Topps confirmed news that Kansas City Royals rookie Eric Hosmer, who had been locked up in an exclusive autograph contract with another company, will be among the signers for 2011 Topps Chrome, arriving on Sept. 7. He also will appear in the upcoming Triple Threads, Finest and Topps Update sets. These are his first MLB cards to be found in packs. The company had previously discussed that Hosmer would be in some of its forthcoming products during its National Sports Collectors Convention Q&A session.

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Over in football territory, the company announced on Thursday that it will have autographs of the newest Oakland Raider, Terrelle Pryor, on autographed cards beginning with 2011 Bowman Sterling. The Ohio State product was a third-round supplemental pick earlier this week. He signed a four-year deal with the Raiders on Thursday night.

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Finally, Topps announced a serious shake-up of its upcoming Tier One baseball card set, adding the following top-tier players to its Relic checklist:

Thurman Munson, New York Yankees
Jimmie Foxx, Boston Red Sox
Rogers Hornsby, St. Louis Cardinals
Roy Campanella, Brooklyn Dodgers
Johnny Mize, St. Louis Cardinals
Pee Wee Reese, Brooklyn Dodgers
George Sisler, St. Louis Browns
Tris Speaker, Cleveland Indians
Babe Ruth, New York Yankees
Johnny Bench, Cincinnati Reds
Ty Cobb, Detroit Tigers
Rickey Henderson, New York Yankees
Lou Gehrig, New York Yankees
Sandy Koufax, Dodgers
Mickey Mantle, New York Yankees
Don Mattingly, New York Yankees
Brooks Robinson, Baltimore Orioles
Ryne Sandberg, Chicago Cubs
Tom Seaver, New York Mets
Willie Mays, Giants

They replace a crop of active and more recent retirees, including: Andre Ethier, Steve Garvey, David Ortiz, Brandon Phillips, Carlos Quentin, Matt Cain, Jimmy Rollins, Gaylord Perry, Jay Bruce, Pablo Sandoval, Drew Stubbs, Adam Jones, Billy Butler, Heath Bell, Fergie Jenkins, Carlos Marmol, Evan Longoria, Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto and Clay Buchholz.

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.