Roger Maris 60th Home Run Signed Game Used Baseball Ties Babe Ruth PSA DNA COA
$24,995.00
Presented here is one of the most intriguing Roger Maris signed baseballs we have ever handled. At worst, it appears to be a specially inscribed game-used baseball from Maris' 60th home run game, which would make it the only such known example and one of the most important Maris signed baseball in the hobby. At best, it might be the ball Maris hit for his 60th home run, which tied Babe Ruth's long-standing single-season home run record, making it one of the most historically significant baseballs extant.
The ball itself is an official American League (Cronin) ball that Maris has inscribed on two separate side panels. On one panel he has written "To Mike Gross/Best of Luck/Roger Maris." On the opposite side panel he has added "Sept. 26 1961 #60." The ball displays wear consistent with game use, including light soiling and a few minor abrasions.
The intrigue regarding the ball has to do with it's unique provenance. The "Mike Gross" to whom the ball is inscribed is the son of the late Milton Gross, who was a sportswriter for the New York Post from 1937 to 1973. In his accompanying one-page typed-signed letter of provenance (image provided), Mike Gross details the ball's history. He begins by explaining that his father basically shadowed Maris during the 1961 season as he pursued history, and during that time the two became close friends. On the night that Maris tied Ruth's home run record at Yankee Stadium he waited patiently for his father to return home after the game, to share in the excitement of the event. However, he was shocked when his father handed him this ball upon his return home. As Gross writes,
For years I believed that this was the ball that Maris hit off Baltimore Orioles pitcher, Jack Fisher. Long after Roger's death, his family claimed that they were in possession of the ball, so I can't claim with 100% certainty that this was the 60th Home Run baseball, but I believe that if this is not the actual home run ball; that this was used in the game and signed especially for me on the night that Maris tied Babe Ruth's single season Home Run Record.
Obviously, it is impossible to know if this is the ball that Fisher served up to Maris for his 60th home run, but just the possibility that it might be adds to its mystique. At the very least, it is a ball used in that historic game and is the only such signed example we have ever seen, making it one of the most significant Maris signed baseballs in the hobby.
Comes with full letter COA from PSA DNA.
D#A34
