Baseball Signed by JFK Sets Record for Most Expensive Presidential Ball

Over the weekend, a baseball signed by former President John F. Kennedy sold for a whopping $166,818 at auction, setting a new record for the most expensive ball ever signed by a president. The ball was from a reporter named Julio Messuti, who was covering JFK and the First Lady’s visit to Venezuela in December 1961, as part of the “Alliance for Progress” project aimed to improve economic ties between the US and Latin America.

Messuti was able to meet JFK during the initiative, where the president signed the baseball, which was from the “Associacion Venezuela de Baseball Professional”. The moment between Kennedy and Messuti was captured in a photo published by the El Universal. Kennedy, who was a huge baseball fan, praised then-White Sox star shortstop and future Hall of Famer Luis Aparicio when he signed the ball.

SCP Auctions put the one-of-a-kind JFK memorabilia on the market last week, and after 19 bids, it was sold for the record-breaking price on Saturday. This beats the previous record set by Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Hancock in 2020, which was the first presidential-signed ball to hit over six figures.

This unique ball has been a topic of interest for many JFK enthusiasts, as it represents the president’s love for baseball and his connection to the Alliance for Progress project. It is a symbol of the relationship between the US and Latin America, which was a crucial part of JFK’s foreign policy.

The sale of this ball highlights the value of presidential memorabilia, as collectors are willing to pay huge sums of money for items with historical significance and personal connections to the former presidents. This JFK-signed baseball is a prime example of how a simple object can hold so much meaning and worth for those who cherish the legacy of our former leaders.