Auction Item Details
Lot 155
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Lot Number: 155
Description: UPDATED DESCRIPTION: Important Joe DiMaggio autographed 1939 World Series Game #3 Home Run attributed baseball from the Crosley family. During the 1939 World Series the heavily favored New York Yankees leapt out to a two games to zero lead winning both games at Yankee Stadium handily. Game three would be played in Cincinnati at Crosley Field and saw the Reds capture an early lead of 2-1 with a spark of hope for the home fans to get back into the Series. However, the Yankees talent was simply too powerful and in the third inning Joe DiMaggio blasted a two run home run over the left field wall to give the Yankees a one run lead. They would never look back and went on to a decisive four game sweep of the Reds to capture the World Championship. After the home run ball had landed on the street behind the outfield wall a young fan retrieved it and was awarded a handsome sum of $5 by Lewis Crosley. Lewis served as Vice President of the Cincinnati Reds and with his brother Powel Crosley owned and operated the team. Before the fourth and final game of the series Lewis Crosley took the baseball to the Yankees dugout and personally had DiMaggio add his autograph to the ball. The ball has remained in the Crosley family ever since and is being offered for the first time publicly. Well used and soiled NL baseball (stampings faded) displaying a career era "Joe DiMaggio" fountain pen signature across the sweet spot rating 7/8 out of 10. UPDATE: Noted for accuracy only, under magnification JSA has detected a degree of period enhancement to a small portion of the lettering in the DiMaggio signature. "This Ball Homerun Hit By" was hand stenciled on the panel above and "World Series Reds vs. Yanks 1939" is on the panel below. World Series home run baseballs are, by their very nature, notably rare and seldom offered to the public. This particular example possessing direct provenance to the ownership family of a participating team in the World Series of relation is without question among the finest and most corroborated of it type to have surfaced. Includes full LOA from JSA (Autograph) and a letter of provenance from the Crosely family: Ball: VG-EX, Signature: EX/MT-NMEstimated Price Range: ($25,000-$50,000)
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