Offered is an unusual and historically interesting Spalding Official National League baseball dating to the 1944–1946 period, featuring the Ford C. Frick National League president stamping and the period-correct Spalding markings.
What makes this baseball particularly interesting is the “U.S.” military marking stamped on the ball, indicating its association with the United States military during the World War II era.
The ball is also signed by Don Kolloway, the Major League Baseball infielder who played for the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox. Kolloway served in the U.S. Army during World War II, from 1943 until his discharge in 1946. The combination of the wartime-dated baseball, the U.S. military marking, and Kolloway's military service makes this a particularly intriguing piece of baseball and WWII history.
The signature is written in period fountain-pen style and remains quite legible.
Baseball: Spalding Official National League
Era: 1944–1946
National League President: Ford C. Frick
Military Marking: “U.S.”
Autograph: Don Kolloway
Military Connection: Kolloway served in the U.S. Army during World War II
The baseball displays expected age, toning, soiling and surface wear from use and storage, consistent with an approximately 80-year-old baseball. The leather is dry and aged, with the stitching showing appropriate wear. Please examine all photographs carefully, as the photos are an important part of the description and show the baseball's overall condition.
I am not claiming that the baseball was definitively signed while Kolloway was serving in the military, as there is no documented provenance establishing the exact circumstances of the signing. However, the U.S. military marking and Kolloway's WWII service make this an especially compelling period piece.
Please see Photographs.
FAST and FREE SHIPPING.
Offered is an unusual and historically interesting Spalding Official National League baseball dating to the 1944–1946 period, featuring the Ford C. Frick National League president stamping and the period-correct Spalding markings.
What makes this baseball particularly interesting is the “U.S.” military marking stamped on the ball, indicating its association with the United States military during the World War II era.
The ball is also signed by Don Kolloway, the Major League Baseball infielder who played for the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox. Kolloway served in the U.S. Army during World War II, from 1943 until his discharge in 1946. The combination of the wartime-dated baseball, the U.S. military marking, and Kolloway's military service makes this a particularly intriguing piece of baseball and WWII history.
The signature is written in period fountain-pen style and remains quite legible.
Baseball: Spalding Official National League
Era: 1944–1946
National League President: Ford C. Frick
Military Marking: “U.S.”
Autograph: Don Kolloway
Military Connection: Kolloway served in the U.S. Army during World War II
The baseball displays expected age, toning, soiling and surface wear from use and storage, consistent with an approximately 80-year-old baseball. The leather is dry and aged, with the stitching showing appropriate wear. Please examine all photographs carefully, as the photos are an important part of the description and show the baseball's overall condition.
I am not claiming that the baseball was definitively signed while Kolloway was serving in the military, as there is no documented provenance establishing the exact circumstances of the signing. However, the U.S. military marking and Kolloway's WWII service make this an especially compelling period piece.
Please see Photographs.
FAST and FREE SHIPPING.
