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Description

1972 Roberto Clemente Single Signed Baseball from Two Weeks Before His Passing. An included 2019 letter of provenance tells the story of a woman meeting Clemente in Puerto Rico in December 1972 and presenting this ball for signing. Two weeks later, the pride of that Caribbean island would be lost beneath the waves after his overloaded plane crashed soon after take-off from a San Juan airport during an attempt to bring lifesaving supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.

Could this be the very last baseball the martyred Hall of Famer ever autographed? We'll never know for certain, but it's clearly possible. Clemente's sweet spot signature is an 8/10 stunner on the lightly and evenly toned "Accelerated Official Baseball." Some minor surface wear minimally affects the autograph. LOA from James Spence Authentication. Letter of provenance from son of recipient.


Guide Value or Estimate: $20,000 - up.

Auction Info

Bidding Begins Approx.
February
6th Friday
Auction Dates
Feb-Mar
28th-1st Saturday-Sunday
Proxy Bidding Begins Approx.
36 Days
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: N/A
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 5
Auction Type
Signature Internet Extended Bid: These Auctions are presented via catalog and online. Bidding is taken through our website or via phone. There are two phases of bidding during this type of auction: 1) Normal bidding: Bids are taken up until 10 PM CT the night the auction closes. 2) 30 Minute Ending: On a lot-by-lot basis, starting at 10:00 PM CT, any person who has bid on the lot previously may continue to bid on that lot until there are no more bids for 30 minutes. For example, if you bid on a lot during Normal Bidding, you could participate during Extended Bidding for that lot, but not on lots you did not bid on previously. If a bid was placed at 10:15, the new end time for that lot would become 10:45. If no other bids were placed before 10:45, the lot would close. If you are the high bidder on a lot, changing your bid will not extend the bidding during the 30 Minute Ending phase (only a bid from another bidder will extend bidding). If you are the only bidder at 10 PM, you will automatically win the lot at 10:30. Important: After normal bidding ends, you must be signed-on to the Heritage site to see the bidding option on lots where you qualify for extended bidding and you must be on an individual lot page to reflect the accurate time remaining for that particular lot.
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