The late 1960’s saw a dangerous trend in airlines being hijacked to Cuba - in 1969 there were over 30 reported hijackings alone. As a result, the once lucrative Florida to Puerto Rico air routes suffered. To counter the poor publicity, Eastern Airlines hired the greatest Puerto Rican to ever set foot on a baseball diamond, Roberto Clemente, as the company’s Miami to San Juan route spokesperson. The Great One has signed this promotional Eastern Airlines logo ball in blue pen not on his customary side panel, but right on the ball’s sweet spot. The ball shows some staining and overall toning, but Clemente’s signature grades a solid 8/10. Due to his tragic death in 1973, any signed Clemente piece is highly sought after, but a single-signed ball from this tragic hero is a true treasure. The ball comes with a LOA from PSA/DNA (V05683) for the signature and graded this baseball with an overall grade of 6.5.

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