Exquisite Vince Lombardi Single-Signed Thorp Night Football (Full PSA Letter, Graded 8)

It isn’t that Vince Lombardi didn’t like signing autographs, he did sign the checks for the team which he helped make famous, but in his era of fame there was no autograph craze like that of today.

In broad black felt tip, Vince signed this Wilson Thorp Sporting Goods night football. The ball was signed for our consignor’s father in August of 1969 in Carlisle, Pa. (Dickinson College, to be specific) where the Redskins held training camp.

Occasionally, we’ve seen Vince on team-signed footballs (and even singularly on a ball, but that one was personalized). However, we challenge our subscribers to locate another football to rival this one. Vince conscientiously scripted his name on a side panel of this pigskin. The autograph, graded PSA/DNA 8, is a stellar "9", and a full PSA/DNA letter will accompany. During the 1960s, the NFL used the traditional Duke football with two white stripes for easier tracking during night games and late-season games which started in late afternoon and ended well after dark. This ball’s coding dates it either in ’68 and/or ’69. It was probably used during both seasons because night games were limited to the pre-season and late season. (Late afternoon contests were infrequent for east coast clubs.) The syle of this ball is extremely rare.

Packer backers, Hall of Fame collectors and hobbyists who collect coaching greats take notice; it may be a long time before another single-signed Lombardi football surfaces. And this isn’t just another run-of-the-mill signed football. Vince penned his identity on a Thorp Sporting Goods NFL Duke night ball. PSA has graded the signature "8".

1969,Ball,Football,Letter,NFL,Signed  Vince Lombardi,Wilson Thorp

Auction End: 19-Dec-08  Post Views: 5651

990  Price; $0.00 – $5,000.00