Auction Item Details
Lot 643
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Lot Number: 643
Description: Historic President John F. Kennedy single signed baseball personalized to Whitey Ford. Slightly off white Cronin AL baseball signed on a side panel in blue ink, "To Whitey Ford from John F. Kennedy". Salutation and signature rate 8 out of 10 overall with some original lightness to the "T" in "To". The ball itself remains clean with a few areas of minor soiling. The scarcity of authentic John F. Kennedy single signed baseballs is notable, with only a handful of documented exemplars of irrefutable origin known to exist. While the offered baseball is of significant monetary value, the story regarding how it was originally acquired is equally noteworthy. In the early 1960s, during an exhibition game in Palm Beach, Florida, Whitey was approached by a couple of Secret Service agents. After asking Whitey to identify himself, the agents informed him that President Kennedy's father, Joseph Kennedy, had a home in Palm Beach and had requested the company Ford and several of his Yankee teammates for the afternoon. After the game, Whitey, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, and Tony Kubek were escorted by limousine to the elder Kennedy's home. At the end of the day, Whitey, who had had the foresight to take twelve baseballs with him, asked Mr. Kennedy to have the baseballs signed and personalized to him and each of his teammates by then current president, John F. Kennedy. A few months later, Whitey received all twelve baseballs, three signed for each player. Whitey believes his children played with two of them, and those of his teammates have disappeared. The offered signed baseball is the only example that remains. With regard to rarity, provenance, and a highly desirable personalization to a legendary New York Yankees Hall of Fame member, the offered ball must in fact be considered to be one of, if not the, finest of its type. Includes LOA from JSA and detailed letter of provenance from Whitey Ford chronicling the history of the baseball: Ball: EX-EX/MT, Signature: Range EX-NM
Estimated Price: ($25,000.00-$35,000.00)
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