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 1957 New York Yankees
- Description
- Baseball signed by the 1957 New York Yankees. That season, the Yankees finished 98-56, 1st in the American League, losing the World Series to 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; Bobby Richardson; Gil McDougald; Andy Carey; Enos Slaughter; Tony Kubek; Elston Howard; Harry Simpson; Jerry Coleman; Tom Sturdivant; Johnny Kucks; Bobby Shantz; Art Ditmer; Tommy Byrne; Bob Grim; Murry Dickson.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1957
- associated institution
- New York Yankees
- maker
- MacGregor
- ID Number
- CL*310547.126
- accession number
- 310547
- catalog number
- 310547.126
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
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
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Baseball, signed by the 1953 Cleveland Indians
- Description
- Baseball signed by the 1953 Cleveland Indians. That season, the Indians finished 92-62, 2nd in the American League.
- Autographs include Al Lopez; Al Rosen; Bill Glynn; Bobby Avila; George Strickland; Wally Westlake; Larry Doby; Dale Mitchell; Jim Hegan; Harry Simpson; Luke Easter; Bob Kennedy; Ray Boone; Bob Lemon; Mike Garcia; Early Wynn; Bob Feller; Dave Hoskins; Art Houtteman; Bob Hooper.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1953
- associated institution
- Cleveland Indians
- maker
- MacGregor GoldSmith Inc.
- ID Number
- CL*310547.132
- accession number
- 310547
- catalog number
- 310547.132
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Baseball, signed by the 1953 New York Giants
- Description
- Baseball signed by the 1953 New York Giants. That season, the Giants finished at 70-84, 5th in the National League.
- Autographs include Leo Durocher; Whitey Lockman; Davey Williams; Al Dark; Hank Thompson; Don Mueller; Bobby Thomson; Monte Irvin; Wes Westrum; Daryl Spencer; Bobby Hofman; Dusty Rhodes; Tookie Gilbert; Rubén Gómez; Jim Hearn; Larry Jansen; Hoyt Wilhelm; Sal Maglie; Dave Koslo; Al Corwin; Al Worthington.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1953
- associated institution
- New York Giants
- maker
- MacGregor
- ID Number
- CL*310547.139
- accession number
- 310547
- catalog number
- 310547.139
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Baseball, signed by the 1930 St. Louis Cardinals
- Description
- Baseball signed by the 1930 St. Louis Cardinals. That year the Cardinals finished 92-62, 1st in the National League. The Cardinals lost the World Series to the Philadelphia Athletics 4 games to 2.
- Autographs include Jim Bottomley; Frankie Frisch; Charlie Gelbert; Sparky Adams; George Watkins; Taylor Douthit; Chick Hafey; Jimmie Wilson; Showboat Fisher; Gus Mancuso; Andy High; Ray Blades; Bill Hallahan; Syl Johnson; Jesse Haines; Burleigh Grimes; Flint Rhem; Hi Bell; Al Grabowski; Jim Lindsey.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1930
- associated institution
- St. Louis Cardinals
- maker
- P. Goldsmith Sons Co.
- ID Number
- CL*310547.148
- accession number
- 310547
- catalog number
- 310547.148
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Mac's Best
- Description (Brief)
- A baseball score counter in the shape of a catcher's mitt. It is made of two pieces of celluloid held together by brads. Sandwiched between the celluloid pieces are counter wheels, which show through windows, to keep track of runs, hits, and innings. Advertising copy on one side reads, "Mac's Best // Flint's Leading 5 cent Cigar // Geo. E. McKinley, Maker."
- George McKinley was a cigar factory owner in Flint, Mich., who was also active in public life. He served as the mayor of Flint in 1906 and 1907.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1890-1930
- advertiser
- McKinley, George E.
- maker
- Meek Company
- ID Number
- 2006.0098.0926
- accession number
- 2006.0098
- catalog number
- 2006.0098.0926
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
- No Image Available
1942 Victory Bicycle
- Description
- Soon after the United States entered World War II, the federal government decided that bicycles should be brought under consumer manufacturing guidelines so that they might support conservation efforts, local transportation, and the war production work force. A series of orders reduced bicycle design to bare essentials, limited metal and rubber content, set output quotas, promoted the use of bicycles among adult civilians, allocated bicycles for military use, and suspended production of children's bicycles, which comprised 85 percent of the prewar market. These measures were designed to conserve rubber and metals needed for war materiel and complement gasoline and automobile tire rationing by providing an alternate form of transportation for war production workers and other workers.
- In December 1941, the Office of Production Management and leading manufacturers developed specifications for a simplified bicycle dubbed the "Victory bicycle" by government and media. OPM reviewed several prototypes submitted for examination. Regulations finalized in March 1942 specified that bicycles would be lightweight - not more than 31 pounds, about two-thirds the weight of prewar bicycles - and they would be made of steel only, with no copper or nickel parts. Chrome plating was limited to a few small pieces of hardware. Handlebars and wheel rims would be painted instead of chrome plated, and most accessories (chain guard, basket, luggage rack, bell, whitewall tires) were eliminated. Tire size was limited to a width of 1.375 inches, narrower than balloon tires on prewar children's bikes. Production was set at 750,000 Victory bicycles per year by twelve manufacturers, approximately 40 percent of total prewar production but a significant increase in annual production of adult bicycles. The manufacture of all other types of civilian bicycles was halted.
- As a prelude to rationing, the federal government imposed a freeze on bicycle sales and allocated almost 10,000 bikes to war production plants for use by workers and messengers. By July 1942 the Office of Price Administration estimated that 150,000 Victory bicycles and 90,000 prewar bikes were available for retail sale. OPA rationed new and prewar men's and women's bicycles. Any adult who was gainfully employed or contributed in some way to the war effort or public welfare could purchase a bicycle if she or he could cite a compelling reason, such as inadequate public transportation, excessive walking, or responsibility for a delivery service. In August 1942 eligibility was further restricted to persons in critical occupations, including physicians, nurses, druggists, ministers, school teachers, mail carriers, firefighters, police officers, construction workers, delivery personnel, public safety officers, and others. By the summer of 1942, American Bicyclist and Motorcyclist reported that thousands of war production workers were riding bicycles to their jobs, and new and used bikes were in great demand. Some companies owned fleets of bicycles for work-related uses such as reading electric meters.
- Pauline Anderson of Norwalk, Connecticut was hired as a mathematics teacher at Norwalk High School in the fall of 1942 and purchased a Victory bicycle shortly thereafter. She lived with her parents, George and Flora Anderson, in a residential neighborhood two miles from downtown Norwalk. Pauline married Walter Dudding on November 26, 1942 but continued to live with her parents while her husband was serving in the Coast Guard. Mrs. Dudding rode the bicycle on errands and pleasure trips in the Norwalk area. It was a good form of supplemental transportation, but she didn't commute to work on the bike; she rode a bus or shared a ride with her father, who owned an automotive sales and repair shop in downtown Norwalk. The high school also was located downtown.
- Pauline Dudding's bicycle has all the features of a 1942 Victory bicycle. The handlebars have black paint instead of chrome plating, and the wheel rims are painted a tan color. The frame is painted red, white and blue. In keeping with a War Production Board order, there is no nameplate or other brand identification other than the letter "H" (for Huffman) stamped on the bottom of the crankcase beside the serial number. In September 1942 the number of authorized Victory bicycle manufacturers was reduced from twelve to two, and the WPB decided that "no firm left in a business from which others are excluded shall be permitted to spread its name over the land and in foreign countries" (Wall Street Journal, September 3, 1942).
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1942
- maker
- Huffman Manufacturing Company
- ID Number
- 2006.0183.01
- accession number
- 2006.0183
- catalog number
- 2006.0183.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center