sports
Set of 21 Presidential Autographed Baseballs Sells for $3.055 Million
A collection of baseballs signed by every U.S. president since Theodore Roosevelt fetched $3,055,000 at Hunt Auctions' MLB All-Star event. The unnamed owner spent three decades assembling the set, which includes documented provenance for several balls.
Jul 15, 11:22 AM·1m read1 source
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A set of 21 baseballs signed by every U.S. president since Theodore Roosevelt sold for $3,055,000 through Hunt Auctions' MLB All-Star live auction, ESPN reported. The unnamed consigner spent three decades building the collection, with each ball accompanied by letters or certificates of authenticity from James Spence Authentication or Professional Sports Authenticator.
The 1918-signed Roosevelt ball came with a letter from Edwin Collins, who received it as a gift on his 18th birthday. Collins was the son of the former president of General Motors' Cadillac division. That ball is one of only two known examples signed by Roosevelt, whose presidency ended in 1909.
A Kennedy-signed ball included a letter from Whitey Ford describing how Secret Service agents drove Ford, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle and Tony Kubek to Joseph Kennedy's home in Palm Beach, Florida, in the early 1960s. Ford brought 12 baseballs, and John F. Kennedy signed three for each player.
Hunt Auctions stated that the ball in the collection is the only one of those 12 that remains. Hunt Auctions has served as the official auctioneer of MLB All-Star Week for more than two decades.
