Circa 1970 Roberto Clemente Single Signed Baseball, PSA/DNA NM-MT 8....

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Sold on Aug 1, 2013 for:

$38,837.50 Bid Source: HA.com/Live bidder

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"Eastern Airlines" logo ball is darkly ironic

Circa 1970 Roberto Clemente Single Signed Baseball, PSA/DNA NM-MT 8. Today the Eastern Airlines logo stamped to the northern panel of this autographed sphere reads as tragic irony, as the man whose spectacular blue ink signature resides on the sweet spot would join the sad brotherhood of Knute Rockne and Rocky Marciano soon after the ball was autographed as American sporting icons lost in airplane crashes. It was near the end of the Pittsburgh Pirates legend's all-too-brief life that he served as a spokesman for the airlines, promoting flights between Miami and his native Puerto Rico at a time when the company was reeling from much-publicized hijacked flights to Cuba. Much the same as Babe Ruth and any number of other baseball legends, Clemente's late-in-life autographed spheres tend to rate highest on the condition scale, and this representation matches up with the very best of them.

The lack of a personalization and the ideal sweet spot placement of the 8/10 (according to the experts at PSA/DNA) signature help to earn this orb's status as "finest known," as other equivalently bold specimens lack one or both of these key attributes. The regulation-size promotional sphere earns a 7/10 rating from PSA/DNA, with an added half-point for eye appeal accounting for the final grade as posted.

Clemente remains one of the most beloved figures in the history of our National Pastime, and particularly among those fans of a Latin heritage. As this demographic continues to swell in population and wealth, one could reasonable expect this martyred hero to surf that wave to progressively higher prices realized at auction. From a standpoint of pure analytics, one could make a solid argument that this elite Clemente relic is one of the surest investments in this Platinum Night event. Full LOA from James Spence Authentication. Full Grading LOA from PSA/DNA, NM-MT 8.