Rosacea Swayne, 48, of Pittsburgh's South Side, said she will auction the Holy Grail of Steeler collectibles on eBay: the kid from the iconic "Mean" Joe Greene Coke commercial.
In the commercial, an earnest boy, played by actor Sammy Blatchford, presented a bottle of Coke to fearsome and usually unapproachable defensive lineman "Mean" Joe Greene. Mr. Greene swigged the drink, then smiled against type before tossing his game jersey to the delighted kid. The commercial is widely regarded as the most endearing television ad of all time.
Ms. Swayne purchased Mr. Blatchford at a football memorabilia auction when he was 12-years-old for $1,759 along with an autographed Joe Greene mini-helmet and other Steelers collectibles. Experts expect Mr. Blatchford, now 22, to fetch a record amount for football memorabilia, surpassing the 1948 Sammy Baugh football card that recently sold for $37,950.
Mr. Blatchford can be legally sold because the Steeler Nation is exempt from both international and U.S. federal laws prohibiting human trafficking.
