1939 Jesse Owens Signed Baseball Olympics – COA PSA/DNA

Jesse Owens was an American track and field athlete and four-time gold medalist in the 1936 Olympic Games. Owens specialized in the sprints and the long jump, and was recognized in his lifetime as “perhaps the greatest and most famous athlete in track and field history”. He set three world records and tied another, all in less than an hour at the 1935 Big Ten track meet in Ann Arbor, Michigan — a feat that has never been equaled and has been called “the greatest 45 minutes ever in sport”.

Presented is a rare autograph of Olympic superstar, Jesse Owens. It is a vintage signature of Owens on an “Official League” baseball (manufacturer unknown) that is evenly toned from age. Owens signed the ball in blue ink and inscribed a side panel, “To my friend, An athlete friend, a great trainer, from Jesse Owens 7/12/39.” Both the signature and inscription stand out well (“9-10”). There are additional notations on the baseball for provenance in black ink, “A.A.U. 1932 Los Angeles Olympics/A.A.U. 1936 Berlin Germany”) as well as another discernable name. Overall, a tremendous autograph of Owens during the era in which he was basking as a four time gold medal winner.

Authentication: PSA/DNA Auction House Letter

This ball is from one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of autographed baseballs in the world. Altogether they were easily displayable in custom shelf form and alphabetically displayed nonetheless. The choice of medium was visually easy for the encyclopedic collector who put these together. It took several decades to amass these rare autographs of the most prominent entertainers, historical figures, and sports players.  It proved quite difficult to acquire autographs of non-ballplayers on such an odd object (a baseball) but diligence proved otherwise and that it’s possible. So, now with the collection complete and his shelves empty there’s only one thing left to do….bid on this item and start the challenge to see how far you can take it.