What better opportunity to gather autographs on a baseball than at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. This enterprising person was able to procure signatures from baseball’s immortals during the 1974 Baseball Hall of Fame Inductions on this Official American League Joseph E. Cronin baseball, along with future Hall of Famers post-1974. In 1974, Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford were the only two inductees to enter the Hall that year.

                Most of the 33 signatures came from that 1974 event, with some exceptions. Mantle’s signature appears on the sweet spot, along with the signatures of Jocko Conlan and Cool Papa Bell. The stamped sweet spot has the signature of Hank Greenberg. The north panel has the signatures of Stan Covaleski, Judy Johnson, Buck Leonard, Edd Roush, Charlie Gehringer (signed Chas. Gehringer) and Joe Cronin. Also on the panel, Nolan Ryan and Hank Aaron have added their signatures. The south panel has the autographs of Lefty Gomez, Bill Terry (signed Wm H Bill Terry), Earl Averill, Bob Feller, Waite Hoyt and Stan Musial.

                The east panel with the “Reach” stamp has the signatures of Pete Gray, Pete Rose (non Hall of Femer), Don Drysdale, Jimmie Dykes (non Hall of Famer), George Kell (signed George L. Kell), Billy Herman, Robin Roberts (later signee) and Bob Lemon (later signee). The west panel has the signatures of 1974 inductee Whitey Ford, Ralph Kiner (later signee), Burleigh Grimes (signed B.A. Grimes), Monte Irvin, Lloyd Waner, Yogi Berra and Ernie Banks (later signee). This ball displays only minor toning and has a light coating of shellac to preserve the signatures. All of the signatures have been signed in blue marker and come with a LOA from Steve Grad of Beckett Authentication (A89212).

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