Offered are two Official Major League Baseballs (Selig) autographed by two members of the flight crew on board the Enola Gay on August 6, 1945 when the United States Army Air Forces dropped the first atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Morris Jeppson, second lieutenant and assistant weaponeer on that historic mission, has signed “Morris Jeppson Weapon Test Officer Enola Gay Mission 6 August 1945 Hiroshima JAPAN” in blue ink on the white leather baseball, to the left of the OML Selig blue stamp. This baseball comes with a COA from PSA/DNA (AC83624).

     Theodore Van Kirk, navigator on the mission, has signed “Major Theodore J Van Kirk Navigator – Enola Gay Aug. 6 1945” in dark blue ink between the blue stamped Rawlings logo and the MLB logo on the white leather ball. Below his signature, there are a few words that are not legible, except for the words “Enola Gay,” in Van Kirk’s handwriting. On August 6, 1945, during the final days of World War II, Enola Gay became the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb, code-named “Little Boy,” on the city of Hiroshima, Japan, causing unprecedented destruction. The “Enola Gay” and her crew also participated in the second atomic attack on Nagasaki as a weather reconnaissance aircraft. This item is accompanied by a COA from PSA/DNA.

Auction Notepad