Sports & Leisure - Overview
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.
"Sports & Leisure - Overview" showing 7 items.
Baseball, signed by the Washington Senators.
- Description
- Autographed baseball from the 1930 Washington Senators of the American League. The players come from teams dating between the 1928 and 1930 seasons.
- Autographs include Bucky Harris; Bump Hadley; Sam West; Joe Judge; Sam Rice; Sam Jones; Garland Braxton; Fripo Marbury; Muddy Ruel; Goose Goslin; Ossie Bluege; Joe Cronin: Buddy Myer; Jackie Hayes; Ad Liska; Bennie Tate; Walter Johnson.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1930
- signer
- Judge, J.
- Johnson, Walter Perry
- associated institution
- Washington Senators
- maker
- A. J. Reach Co.
- ID Number
- 2000.0021.01
- catalog number
- 2000.0021.01
- accession number
- 2000.0021
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Baseball, signed by the 1935 Washington Senators
- Description
- Baseball signed by the 1935 Washington Senators. That season the Senators finished 67-86, 6th in the American League.
- Autographs include Joe Kuhel; Buddy Myer; Ossie Bluege; Cecil Travis; John Stone; Jake Powell; Heinie Manush; Cliff Bolton; Red Kress; Fred Schulte; Dee Miles; Sammy Holbrook; Earl Whitehill; Bump Hadley; Bobo Newsome; Ed Linke; Jack Russell; Leon Pettit; Bucky Harris.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1935
- maker
- A. J. Reach Co.
- ID Number
- CL*310547.114
- accession number
- CL*310547
- catalog number
- CL*310547.114
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Baseball, signed by the 1936 Chicago White Sox
- Description
- Autographed baseball signed by the 1936 Chicago White Sox. That season the White Sox finished 81-70, 4th in the American League.
- Autographs include Zeke Bonura; Jackie Hayes; Luke Appling; Jimmy Dykes; Mule Haas; Mike Kreevich; Rip Radcliff; Luke Sewell; Tony Piet; Larry Rosenthal; Vern Kennedy; John Whitehead; Sugar Cain; Ted Lyons; Monty Stratton; Clint Brown; Ray Phelps; Jimmy Dikes.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1936
- associated institution
- Chicago White Sox
- maker
- A. J. Reach Co.
- ID Number
- CL*310547.117
- accession number
- CL*310547
- catalog number
- CL*310547.117
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Baseball, signed by the 1937 New York Yankees
- Description
- Baseball signed by the 1937 New York Yankees. That season the Yankees finished 102-25, defeating the New York Giants 4 games to 1 to win the World Series.
- Autographs include Joe DiMaggio; Lou Gehrig; Tony Lazzeri; Lefty Gomez; Frankie Crosetti; Red Rolfe; Myril Hoag; Jake Powell; Bill Dickey; George Selkirk; Tommy Henrich; Don Heffner; Red Ruffing; Bump Hadley; Monte Pearson; Johnny Murphy; Pat Malone; Kemp WIcker; Spud Chandler; Frank Makosky.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1937
- signer
- DiMaggio, Joe
- Gehrig, Lou
- Lazzeri, Tony
- Gomez, Lefty
- maker
- A. J. Reach Co.
- ID Number
- CL*310547.123
- accession number
- 310547
- catalog number
- 310547.123
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Baseball, signed by the 1949 Cleveland Indians
- Description
- Baseball signed by the 1949 Cleveland Indians. That season the Indians finished 89-65, 3rd in the American League.
- Autographs include Lou Boudreau; Mickey Vernon; Early Wynn; Bob Lernon; Joe Gordon; Ken Keltner; Bob Kennedy; Larry Doby; Dale Mitchell; Jim Hegan; Ray Boone; Thurman Tucker; Bob Lemon; Bob Feller; Mike Garcia; Early Wynn; Al Benton; Gene Bearden; Steve Gromek; Satchel Paige.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1949
- associated institution
- Cleveland Indians
- signer
- Boudreau, Lou
- Vernon, Mickey
- Wynn, Early
- Lernon, Bob
- maker
- A. J. Reach Co.
- ID Number
- CL*310547.131
- catalog number
- 310547.131
- accession number
- 310547
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Baseball, signed by the 1949 Boston Braves
- Description
- Baseball signed by the 1949 Boston Braves. That season the Braves finished 75-79, 4th in the National League.
- Autographs include Johnny Sain; Warren Spahn; Elbie Fletcher; Eddie Stanky; Al Dark; Bob Elliott; Tommy Holmes; Jim Russell; Marv Rickert; Bill Salkeld; Sibby Sisti; Del Crandall; Pete Reiser; Ed Sauer; Connie Ryan; Jeff Heath; Vern Bickford; Bill Voiselle; Nels Potter; Johnny Antonelli; Bob Hall.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1949
- associated institution
- Milwaukee Braves
- maker
- A. J. Reach Co.
- ID Number
- CL*310547.144
- accession number
- 310547
- catalog number
- 310547.144
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Baseball, signed by the 1952 Brooklyn Dodgers
- Description (Brief)
- Baseball signed by the 1952 Brooklyn Dodgers. That season the Dodgers finished 96-57, 1st in the National League, losing to the New York Yankees in the World Series 4 games to 3.
- Autographs include Jackie Robinson; Carl Erskine; Billy Cox; Roy Campanella; Gil Hodges; Duke Snider; Pee Wee Reese; Carl Furillo; Andy Pafko; George Shuba; Bobby Morgan; Billy Loes; Ben Wade; Preacher Roe; Joe Black; Chris Van Cuyk; Johnny Rutherford; Clem Labine.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1952
- signer
- Robinson, Jackie
- associated institution
- Brooklyn Dodgers
- maker
- A. J. Reach Co.
- ID Number
- CL*310547.154
- accession number
- 310547
- catalog number
- 310547.154
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center