An election that won’t end. A family-free Thanksgiving. Shabby Christmas trees. It seems 2020 never fails to live up to its reputation as the absolute worst.
The recent closure of Boston sports bar The Fours is yet another example, but perhaps you can soothe yourself with some sweet memorabilia now on the auction block from the famed Canal Street pub.
It’s quite a trove, as anyone who ever had a pint at The Fours can attest. Jerseys, pennants, photos, original artwork, menus, signs, you name it, it’s all up for bid.
Some of the big-ticket items include two vintage Boston Garden seats; a four-man scull from Trinity College in Dublin; and a requisite signed Tom Brady jersey. Longtime Fours fans can even bid on the bar’s enormous exterior sign, the gold script letters so familiar to generations of Garden-goers.
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The lots vary widely. For Celtics fans, there’s a Spalding basketball signed by Kevin McHale, Jim Paxson, Danny Ainge, Chris Ford, Brian Shaw, Reggie Lewis, and Mark Akers. Opening bid: $100. A Life magazine cover of Ted Williams, signed “To Jack” by The Splendid Splinter himself, will have the hearts of Red Sox fans named Jack aflutter. Or maybe a Bruins puck autographed by Bobby Orr is more your speed.
The items will be auctioned off beginning at 10 a.m. on Dec. 3 and 4 by the Paul E. Saperstein Co., but online bidding is going on now at bidspotter.com. If you want to get an up-close look at the merchandise, a public inspection will be held at 166 Canal St., on Dec. 1 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Dec. 2 from noon-8 p.m.
On auction days, the bidding goes quickly, with one lot closing every minute, according to Paul Cotto, operations manager for Saperstein Co. So if you have your heart set on that framed Luis Tiant photo, get your bid in in advance.
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Cotto says some of the most desirable memorabilia is anything signed “To The Fours” by a famous local sports figure. “There’s a Larry Bird jersey signed ‘To The Fours, best wishes, Larry Bird,’” he said. And then there’s a jersey from McHale, which reads: “To the ‘4′s’ — Good luck — Thanks for the cold beer.”
Hayley Kaufman can be reached at hayley.kaufman@globe.com.