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.

Yomega Phantom Brain Yo-Yo

This translucent plastic yo-yo was made by Yomega in the 1990s. Called the Phantom because of its translucent plastic, it features Yomega's trademarked "Brain," an internal clutch mechanism that helps beginners by automatically causing the yo-yo to return.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This translucent plastic yo-yo was made by Yomega in the 1990s. Called the Phantom because of its translucent plastic, it features Yomega's trademarked "Brain," an internal clutch mechanism that helps beginners by automatically causing the yo-yo to return.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1990s
maker
Yomega
ID Number
2002.0246.46
accession number
2002.0246
catalog number
2002.0246.46

Duncan Rainbo Yo-Yo

This Duncan steel yo-yo was manufactured by the Cayo Manufacturing Company in 1934. It has flat black sides with a black and white stripe design around the edges.
Description (Brief)
This Duncan steel yo-yo was manufactured by the Cayo Manufacturing Company in 1934. It has flat black sides with a black and white stripe design around the edges. There is a red, yellow and blue internal, metallic spinning disc that can be seen through small cut out windows in the sides. The decal reads “Genuine Duncan Rainbo Yo-Yo, Trade Mark Reg. USA.” The Duncan Toys Company contracted its metal yo-yos to the Cayo Manufacturing Company until World War II.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1934
maker
Duncan
Cayo Manufacturing Company
ID Number
2002.0246.02
accession number
2002.0246
catalog number
2002.0246.02

Duncan Mickey Mouse Club Yo-Yo

This plastic yo-yo was made by the Duncan Toys Company in the 1960s. It is unopened on its original a display card reading “Duncan Official Mickey Mouse Club Yo-yo Return Top.” It has flat sides and transparent view lenses.
Description (Brief)
This plastic yo-yo was made by the Duncan Toys Company in the 1960s. It is unopened on its original a display card reading “Duncan Official Mickey Mouse Club Yo-yo Return Top.” It has flat sides and transparent view lenses. Paper inserts feature colorful drawings of Walt Disney Company characters Mickey and Minnie Mouse. This yo-yo is one example of three Duncan Imperial Jr. models featuring Disney characters.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1960s
maker
Duncan
ID Number
2002.0246.54
accession number
2002.0246
catalog number
2002.0246.54

Duncan Shrieking Sonic Satellite Yo-Yo

This wooden yo-yo was made by the Duncan Toys Company in the 1960s. It is displayed on a white, teal, and black display card. The yo-yo has rounded sides with a red glitter and white rims. There are holes through both rims that creates a whistling sound when spun.
Description (Brief)
This wooden yo-yo was made by the Duncan Toys Company in the 1960s. It is displayed on a white, teal, and black display card. The yo-yo has rounded sides with a red glitter and white rims. There are holes through both rims that creates a whistling sound when spun. This model was part of Duncan’s "Satellite" line, inspired by the era's space race.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1960s
maker
Duncan
ID Number
2002.0246.50
accession number
2002.0246
catalog number
2002.0246.50

Duncan Koo-Lee Hat

This yellow plastic spinner was made by the Duncan Toys Company in the 1950s. This type of flying disc is also called a hat.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This yellow plastic spinner was made by the Duncan Toys Company in the 1950s. This type of flying disc is also called a hat.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1950s
maker
Duncan
ID Number
2002.0246.61
accession number
2002.0246
catalog number
2002.0246.61

Lawn Dart Game

Lawn darts (also known as jarts) were a popular backyard lawn game during the 1980s. This lawn dart set sold by DP Superdarts is composed of three yellow darts and three red darts, with two plastic circles as targets.
Description
Lawn darts (also known as jarts) were a popular backyard lawn game during the 1980s. This lawn dart set sold by DP Superdarts is composed of three yellow darts and three red darts, with two plastic circles as targets.
ID Number
2014.3006.01.2
nonaccession number
2014.3006
catalog number
2014.3006.01.2

Royal Special Yo-Yo

This wooden yo-yo was made by Royal Chico Toys in the 1950s.
Description (Brief)
This wooden yo-yo was made by Royal Chico Toys in the 1950s. There is a red and yellow graphic of a crown (made to resemble the Crown of England) on a blue and white decal seal reading “Royal Special, Official Tournament Top.” This yo-yo is in its original packaging, which reads “Royal Champions in Action, watch them on TV.” Royal was a major, mid-century maker started by Filipino immigrant Joe Radovan.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1950s
maker
Royal Chico Toys, Inc.
ID Number
2002.0246.53
accession number
2002.0246
catalog number
2002.0246.53

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

Stinger Yo-Yo

This plastic yo-yo was made by Small Minds Press in 1996. Called the Stinger, it remains unopened on a display card. It has indented flat sides. A real scorpion has been embedded inside of one half.
Description (Brief)
This plastic yo-yo was made by Small Minds Press in 1996. Called the Stinger, it remains unopened on a display card. It has indented flat sides. A real scorpion has been embedded inside of one half. There is educational information about scorpions on the reverse of the card.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1996
maker
Small Minds Press
ID Number
2002.0246.51
accession number
2002.0246
catalog number
2002.0246.51

Alma Mater / Lord Geoffrey Amherst; Fight On, Pennsylvania / Red and Blue

All-American Glee Club. side 1: Alma Mater (track 1) Lord Geoffrey Amherst (track 2); side 2: Fight On, Pennsylvania (track 1) Red snd Blue (track 2) (Victor 26671), from the album, College Songs, Vol. 1 - Eastern Vol. (Victor P 32).78 rpm.Currently not on view
Description
All-American Glee Club. side 1: Alma Mater (track 1) Lord Geoffrey Amherst (track 2); side 2: Fight On, Pennsylvania (track 1) Red snd Blue (track 2) (Victor 26671), from the album, College Songs, Vol. 1 - Eastern Vol. (Victor P 32).
78 rpm.
Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1940
manufacturer
Victor
ID Number
1988.0384.21
accession number
1988.0384
maker number
26671
catalog number
1988.0384.21
maker number
P 32

Time, Volume LXX Number 9

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1957
depicted (sitter)
Gibson, Althea
maker
TIME Inc.
ID Number
2016.0200.01
accession number
2016.0200
catalog number
2016.0200.01

BC "Smithsonian" Yo-Yo

This wooden yo-yo was made by BC in 1995. It has a laminated, rainbow wood design and features the Smithsonian Institution's sun logo. The BC yo-yo line was produced by “Whats Next Manufacturing Inc.”Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This wooden yo-yo was made by BC in 1995. It has a laminated, rainbow wood design and features the Smithsonian Institution's sun logo. The BC yo-yo line was produced by “Whats Next Manufacturing Inc.”
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1995
maker
B.C. Yo-Yos
ID Number
2002.0246.19
accession number
2002.0246
catalog number
2002.0246.19

Duncan Tournament Yo-Yo

This yellow, wooden "Duncan Tournament" yo-yo was made by the Duncan Toys Company frin around 1960-1965. Known as a “crossed flags” model, it is the last iteration of Duncan's "Tournament" line in wood. It is mounted on a display card featuring an image of the mascot “Mr.
Description (Brief)
This yellow, wooden "Duncan Tournament" yo-yo was made by the Duncan Toys Company frin around 1960-1965. Known as a “crossed flags” model, it is the last iteration of Duncan's "Tournament" line in wood. It is mounted on a display card featuring an image of the mascot “Mr. Yo-Yo” and the slogan “If it isn't Duncan it isn't Yo-Yo.”
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1960s
maker
Duncan
ID Number
2002.0246.49
accession number
2002.0246
catalog number
2002.0246.49

I Always Wanted To Be Somebody

Althea Gibson. I Always Wanted To Be Somebody (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1958). with original paper jacket.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Althea Gibson. I Always Wanted To Be Somebody (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1958). with original paper jacket.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1958
referenced
Gibson, Althea
maker
Harper & Brothers
ID Number
2017.0191.08
accession number
2017.0191
catalog number
2017.0191.08

Duncan Yo-Yo Display Box

This is an empty cardboard store display box for Duncan Yo-Yos from the 1930s. It is red and white with drawings of international yo-yo users. The box reads “Duncan’s Genuine Gold Seal Beginners’ Yo-Yo Tops…if it isn’t a Duncan-it isn’t a yo-yo top.”Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This is an empty cardboard store display box for Duncan Yo-Yos from the 1930s. It is red and white with drawings of international yo-yo users. The box reads “Duncan’s Genuine Gold Seal Beginners’ Yo-Yo Tops…if it isn’t a Duncan-it isn’t a yo-yo top.”
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1930s
maker
Duncan
ID Number
2002.0246.65
accession number
2002.0246
catalog number
2002.0246.65

Pepper Shaker

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca 1923
date used
1936 to 1960s
maker
Beetleware Corporation
ID Number
1984.0331.13
accession number
1984.0331
catalog number
1984.0331.13

Duncan Litening Yo-Yo

This wooden yo-yo was made by the Duncan Toys company from 1956-1959. The overall crackle design was created through a double-coat painting process. The sticker reads “Duncan ‘Litening’ Yo-Yo Top”.
Description (Brief)
This wooden yo-yo was made by the Duncan Toys company from 1956-1959. The overall crackle design was created through a double-coat painting process. The sticker reads “Duncan ‘Litening’ Yo-Yo Top”. This was one of the first yo-yos to be packaged and sold upon a blister card.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1950s
maker
Duncan
ID Number
2002.0246.15
accession number
2002.0246
catalog number
2002.0246.15

Duncan Light-Up Yo-Yo

This plastic yo-yo was made by the Duncan Toys Company in the 1970s. It is made of translucent orange and green plastic and features an interior battery compartment. Battery power lit the yo-yo when it was spun.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This plastic yo-yo was made by the Duncan Toys Company in the 1970s. It is made of translucent orange and green plastic and features an interior battery compartment. Battery power lit the yo-yo when it was spun.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1970s
maker
Duncan
ID Number
2002.0246.45
accession number
2002.0246
catalog number
2002.0246.45

1934 Trav-L-Coach house trailer

The Cate family of Lakeport, New Hampshire purchased this trailer in 1936 to serve as their vacation home.
Description
The Cate family of Lakeport, New Hampshire purchased this trailer in 1936 to serve as their vacation home. Cars and highways had created vast new recreational opportunities, and during the Depression many families who were financially stable still enjoyed driving to remote scenic areas. The Cates, like other trailer owners, thought of touring as an extension of home life, and they could afford the security, comfort, and intimacy of a manufactured cottage on wheels.
Eben Cate was a rural mail carrier on a route through several villages near Lake Winnipesaukee. He earned two weeks of vacation time per year. In 1936 he saw this trailer in a showroom in Laconia, a few miles from his home, and purchased it for pleasure trips. Eben and Vernie and their children, Rudolph and Virginia, made one trip to Florida in their new trailer in 1937, staying one night in many different locations. Every summer during the 1940s, they spent a week at Decatur Motor Camp at York Beach on the southern coast of Maine. They kept house in the trailer, went for walks, and swam in the Atlantic Ocean. Vernie did the housekeeping — not much of a vacation for her, but a change of scenery nonetheless. The Cates also visited Vernie's relatives in East Corinth, Vermont and parked the trailer "out near the barn" with an electrical hookup. The wooden trailer came equipped with a bedroom, sofa beds, table, kitchen, closets, and cupboards.
House trailers were so appealing that thousands of itinerant people lived in them full-time in the 1930s. But early residential trailer camps had poor sanitary conditions and no landscaping. Some observers believed that traditional communities were threatened by the existence of these ad hoc, transient communities. Trailers created contradictory feelings of pride and disapproval —a far cry from the euphoric autocamping outings of the 1920s.
Date made
1934
user
Cate, Eben
Cate, Vernie
maker
Trav-L-Coach
ID Number
1981.0524.01
accession number
1981.0524
catalog number
1981.0524.01

Yomega X-Brain Yo-Yo

This plastic "X-Brain" yo-yo was made by Yomega in 1999. It is made of translucent purple plastic and reads “Yomega X-Brain, Bandai 1999, Made in China, USA Patent No.
Description (Brief)
This plastic "X-Brain" yo-yo was made by Yomega in 1999. It is made of translucent purple plastic and reads “Yomega X-Brain, Bandai 1999, Made in China, USA Patent No. 4,332,102 Auto-Return.” This yo-yo has a cross shaped internal clutch mechanism that returns it to the user when spin has sufficiently slowed.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1999
maker
Yomega
ID Number
2002.0246.47
patent number
4,332,102
accession number
2002.0246
catalog number
2002.0246.47

Coca-Cola Bob Rola World Champion Yo-Yo

This plastic yo-yo was made by the Duncan Toys Company in the 1950s. It has a pink body and clear rounded sides. It features an image of yo-yo champion Bob Rola on one half and multi-colored dots on the other.
Description (Brief)
This plastic yo-yo was made by the Duncan Toys Company in the 1950s. It has a pink body and clear rounded sides. It features an image of yo-yo champion Bob Rola on one half and multi-colored dots on the other. It reads “Duncan Yo-Yo for Coca-Cola World Champion,” and “Best Wishes, Bob Rola.”
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1950s
maker
Duncan
ID Number
2002.0246.37
accession number
2002.0246
catalog number
2002.0246.37

Pele Lunch Box

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1984.0053.32
accession number
1984.0053
catalog number
1984.0053.32

Button from the 1984 Summer Olympic Games held in Los Angeles, California

Round pin-back button with a printed design of "LA 84 / I'm A Part if History" in lavendar, pink, orange and green.
Description (Brief)
Round pin-back button with a printed design of "LA 84 / I'm A Part if History" in lavendar, pink, orange and green. German printed within an orange band at top.
The 1984 Summer Olympics, also known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad were held in Los Angeles, California with 140 countries, 5,263 men and 1,566 women athletes participating. These Games were boycotted by fourteen countries, including the Soviet Union because of America’s boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. American Carl Lewis won four gold medals in track and field while Joan Benoit won gold for the U.S. in the first women’s marathon. Mary Lou Retton dominated women’s gymnastics becoming the first American to win the gymnastics all-around competition and the American men won the gold in the gymnastics team competition. With the addition of women’s only events of rhythmic gymnastics and synchronized swimming and the addition of women’s events in track and field, shooting and cycling, women athletes were just beginning to see results from Title IX legislation of twelve years prior. The United States won the medal count with 174.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1984
ID Number
1985.0297.17.2
accession number
1985.0297
catalog number
1985.0297.17.2

Official Girls' Baseball Rules Book for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1983.0183.08.2
accession number
1983.0183
catalog number
1983.0183.08.2

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