Perched atop the National League standings from May 13 until the end of the regular season, the 1951 Brooklyn Dodgers led by as many as 13 games before a late-season swoon allowed the Giants to force a best-of-three playoff whose climactic ending stings to this day. This baseball is autographed by (18) members of that Flatbush roster, with no clubhouse signatures. The orb appears to have endured diamond use and the ballpoint pennings average (“6”) strength with keys including: Campanella, Hodges, Newcombe, Reese, J. Robinson and Snider. Full photo LOA from JSA.

North Panel: Haugstad, Bridges and J. Robinson (“5-6” strength); South Panel: Reese (“5-6” strength), Erskine, Campanella (“5-6” strength) and Pafko; West Panel: Abrams, Roe, Terwilliger, Podbielan, Walker and Palica; East Panel: Snider (“6”), D. Williams (“5” strength), Newcombe (“4” strength), Hodges (“7” strength) and Thompson.