Sports & Leisure

Tennis Racket

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.

Resource Type: Pins (fasteners)

Italian Yo-Yo Pin

This pin was made in Italy by the Duncan Toys Company during the 1950s. It is metal, shield-shaped, and colored red, blue, and silver. It reads “Coca-Cola, Yo-Yo Duncan Esperto,” (Coca-Cola Duncan Yo-Yo Expert.)Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This pin was made in Italy by the Duncan Toys Company during the 1950s. It is metal, shield-shaped, and colored red, blue, and silver. It reads “Coca-Cola, Yo-Yo Duncan Esperto,” (Coca-Cola Duncan Yo-Yo Expert.)
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1950s
maker
Duncan
ID Number
2002.0246.62
accession number
2002.0246
catalog number
2002.0246.62

Duncan Yo-Yo Contest Pin

This round metal pin was made by the Duncan Toys Company in the 1950s. It is red and white and reads “Are your Kids in the Yo-Yo Contest.” Duncan often held contests and demonstrations to generate interest and sales.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This round metal pin was made by the Duncan Toys Company in the 1950s. It is red and white and reads “Are your Kids in the Yo-Yo Contest.” Duncan often held contests and demonstrations to generate interest and sales.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1950s
maker
Duncan
ID Number
2002.0246.67
accession number
2002.0246
catalog number
2002.0246.67

Bob Feller Pin

White metal pin featuring Cleveland Indians pitcher Bob Feller. The pin is part of the 1938 Our National Game series.
Description (Brief)
White metal pin featuring Cleveland Indians pitcher Bob Feller. The pin is part of the 1938 Our National Game series. The pin originally was affixed to a cardboard backing.
Pitcher Robert Bob Feller (1918-2010) played Major League Baseball for the Cleveland Indians from 1936-1941 and from 1945-1956, with the time in-between spent in military service. Compiling a lifetime record of 266-162 with an E.R.A. of 3.25, Feller led the American League in wins six times.
An eight-time All-Star, the right-handed hurler led the league in strikeouts for seven seasons, throwing three no-hitters in his career. In 1948 he helped lead Cleveland to a World Series championship.
Following his playing days, Feller was named the first President of the Major League Baseball's Players Association (1958.) He was elected into Baseball's Hall of Fame in 1962.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1938
depicted
Feller, Bob
Associated Name
Cleveland Indians
ID Number
1982.0566.24
catalog number
1982.0566.24
accession number
1982.0566

St. Raphael pin award given to Ann Hammersbacher

St. Raphael pin award given to Ann Hammerbacher (Buell) as a camp counselor at Camp Shriver. St. Raphael is the patron saint of mental illness and is associated with the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation. The Joseph P. Kennedy Jr.
Description (Brief)
St. Raphael pin award given to Ann Hammerbacher (Buell) as a camp counselor at Camp Shriver. St. Raphael is the patron saint of mental illness and is associated with the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation. The Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation is a non profit organization founded in 1946 by Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. in memory of his son Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. The mission of the Kennedy Foundation is "to provide leadership in the field of mental retardation and service to persons with mental retardation, both those born and unborn, and their families."
Camp Shriver began in Eunice Shriver’s backyard at her Timberlawn estate in 1962. Shriver, the sister of President John F. Kennedy and Rose, an intellectually disabled sister, decided to hold a day camp for intellectually disabled kids from DC and Maryland. The high school age counselors were taught how to teach the campers different skills through play and introduced them to horseback riding, swimming, canoeing and group games, many of the campers experiencing these activities for the first time. Camp Shriver continued each summer until 1968 when the first Special Olympics Games were held in Chicago which has grown into the largest organization for intellectually disabled athletes in the world. Ann Hammerbacher (Buell) applied to be a volunteer at the camp through her parochial high school and worked there from 1962-1967.
From its beginnings as Camp Shriver in Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s backyard, to the first international games in 1968, Special Olympics has been about giving people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to participate in sport. This participation builds confidence, provides emotional support and offers social opportunities for the athletes and their families. With state chapters and a global presence through its World Games, “Special Olympics is the largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities with 5 million athletes in 170 countries worldwide.”
Location
Currently not on view
user
Buell, Ann
ID Number
2017.0242.01
accession number
2017.0242
catalog number
2017.0242.01

USA Ski Team Olympic Pin

USA Ski Team Olympics Pin. Olympic pin collecting began as early as 1900 and gained momentum at the 1936 Games. Through the 1960s pin trading was on the upswing but really took off at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games with sponsor's becoming more prevalent.
Description (Brief)
USA Ski Team Olympics Pin. Olympic pin collecting began as early as 1900 and gained momentum at the 1936 Games. Through the 1960s pin trading was on the upswing but really took off at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games with sponsor's becoming more prevalent. Coca-Cola set up a pin trading area at the Calgary Games which gave a boost to the hobby which is still a big part of the Olympic experience.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1976
associated dates
1981 09 22 / 1981 09 22
user
Robinson, Edwin K.
ID Number
1981.0924.02
catalog number
1981.0924.02
accession number
1981.0924

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