Sports & Leisure

The nation's passion for sports is obvious every day—at NASCAR races, kiddie soccer matches, and countless other contests. From a handball used by Abraham Lincoln to Chris Evert's tennis racket to a baseball signed by Jackie Robinson, the roughly 6.000 objects in the Museum's sports collections bear witness to the vital place of sports in the nation's history. Paper sports objects in the collections, such as souvenir programs and baseball cards, number in the hundreds of thousands.

Leisure collections encompass a different range of objects, including camping vehicles and gear, video games, playing cards, sportswear, exercise equipment, and Currier and Ives prints of fishing, hunting, and horseracing. Some 4,000 toys dating from the colonial period to the present are a special strength of the collections.

Baseball signed by the 1958 New York Yankees.
Description
Baseball signed by the 1958 New York Yankees. That year the Yankees won the American League with a 92-62 record, winning the World Series by defeating the Milwaukee Braves 4 games to 3.
Autographs include Mickey Mantle; Yogi Berra; Whitey Ford; Don Larsen; Bob Turley; Hank Bauer; Sal Maglie; Bill Skowron; Bob Richardson; Gil McDougald; Andy Carey; Enos Slaughter; Tony Kubek; Elson Howard; Tom Sturdivant; Johnny Kucks; Bobby Shantz; Art Ditmar; Norm Siebern; Bob Grim; Murry Dickson; Virgil Trucks; Marv Thorneberry; Zach Monroe; Duke Maas; Ryne Duren; Darrell Johnson; Jerry Lumpe.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1958
associated institution
Milwaukee Brewers
maker
MacGregor
ID Number
CL.310547.127
accession number
310547
catalog number
310547.127
Baseball signed by players and coaches who played on the Milwaukee Braves during the 1950s.Autographs include Mel Roach; Bucky Waters; Ed Mathews; John Logan; George Crowe; Danny O'Connell; Hank Aaron; Bill Bruton; Bobby Thomson; Del Crandall; Joe Adcock; Andy Pafko; Chuck Tanner
Description
Baseball signed by players and coaches who played on the Milwaukee Braves during the 1950s.
Autographs include Mel Roach; Bucky Waters; Ed Mathews; John Logan; George Crowe; Danny O'Connell; Hank Aaron; Bill Bruton; Bobby Thomson; Del Crandall; Joe Adcock; Andy Pafko; Chuck Tanner; Warren Spahn; Lew Burdette; Bob Buhl; Gene Conley; Chet Nichols; Ray Crone; Ernie Johnson.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1955
associated institution
Milwaukee Brewers
maker
Spalding
ID Number
CL.310547.160
accession number
310547
catalog number
310547.160
Baseball signed by the 1958 Milwaukee Braves of the National League.
Description
Baseball signed by the 1958 Milwaukee Braves of the National League. That year the Braves finished 92-62, 1st in the National League, losing the World Series to the New York Yankees 4 games to 3.
Autographs include Mel Roach; Fred Hanley; Frank Torre; Red Schoendienst; Johnny Logan; Eddie Mathews; Hank Aaron; Bill Bruton; Wes Covington; Del Crandall; Joe Adcock; Felix Mantilla; Andy Pafko; Warren Spahn; Lew Burdette; Bob Rush; Carl Willey; Juan Pizarro; Joey Jay; Don McMahon.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1958
associated institution
Milwaukee Brewers
ID Number
CL.310547.147
accession number
310547
catalog number
310547.147

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