Lot # 1138: Richie Ashburn Single Signed ONL/Coleman Baseball with Tough "HOF '95" Inscription

Elect fleet-footed Philadelphia Phillies centerfielder Rich Ashburn to your collection, with this single-signed and inscribed baseball. A lifetime .308 batter, it seems Ashburn was punished for his lack of power, as he had to wait more than thirty years for his election to the Hall of Fame. His 5,803 career putouts in centerfield are the third most all-time, behind only Willie Mays and Tris Speaker, and he led all of baseball with 1,875 hits during the 1950s, a decade filled with great hitters. Located on the sweet spot of a nicely preserved ONL/Coleman baseball, Ashburn's ("9") strength signature is accompanied by the seldom seen inscription "HOF '95", on the east panel. Ashburn was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1995, and he passed away in 1997, leaving just a two-year window for this tough inscription.

Auction LOA from James Spence/JSA.