Antiques Roadshow guest baffled at value of baseball he got on 13th birthday

An Antiques Roadshow guest was delighted to discover that his signed vintage baseball from a game he went to on his 13th birthday has since skyrocketed in value – and is now worth whooping estimated $100, 000.

Monday evening’s episode of the hit show took the team to Texas as Vintage Dallas was met with incredible treasures. In the new fascinating episode, guests brought a variety of unique antiques including a 1830 first printing of The Book of Mormon, Dallas memorabilia &amp, Tennessee sampler, and most notably a signed vintage baseball.

In the final segment of the show, one guest recalled a sweet memory of his 13th birthday on August 27, 1961 when he went to a baseball game with his league and got the gift of a lifetime. He said that at the end of the game, his coach disappeared for a while with his signed baseball from Babe Ruth and returned with signatures from baseball legends Mickey Mantle and Roger Marris.

For all the latest on news, politics, sports, and showbiz from the USA, go to The Mirror US.

READ MORE: BBC Antiques Roadshow guest stunned to learn broken £20 watch actually ‘ rare item ‘ with huge value

Visibly shocked by the incredible antique, professional appraiser Lelia Dunbar said: “Well we’ve got Ruth 31 right here, here’s Mantle and it shows Mickey Mantle 1961 on there, and then we flip it around and there is Roger Marris. And did you know what was going on that summer”?

To which he excitedly replied: “Oh yes! It was all the news – Mickey Mantle and Roger Marris and their home run duel to break Babe Ruth’s record”. And she replied: “That’s right. And that’s what I love about this baseball. Here you have Babe Ruth who of course broke his own home run record in 1927 setting it at 60 home runs in a single season broke his home run record of 1921 where he hit 59 home runs and you fast forward to 1961 and you have the M&amp, M boys”.

Lelia gushed over the incredible find telling the guest: “In all my years in sports, and I’ve been a sports fan all my life – I’ve been looking at baseballs for many many years – I’ve never seen a baseball signed by Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, and Roger Marris let alone a ball signed by Ruth in the hayday of his career in 1931 and Mantle and Marris during the summer that they salted Ruth’s homerun record”.

Lelia continued: “At an auction I’d put it up at about $30 to $50, 000”. To which he replied: “That much? I had no idea that would happen. Who knew what you would receive for your 13th birthday? she continued, adding, “And I would put insurance value on it for at least $50,000.” He sincerely replied, “I never dreamed of this,” in response.

Audiences were informed at the conclusion of the segment that the baseball’s value in 2008 was somewhere between $30,000 and $50,000, which had more than doubled to an astounding $500,000 to $100,000 estimate in 2023.

Fans of Antique Roadshow shared their excitement over the artifact on X, formerly Twitter, after the unexpected appraisal. I always look forward to seeing you on the show, one fan wrote to appraiser Lelia. I appreciate how well-versed you are in sports, particularly baseball. What a treasure that 1961 baseball was! I’m so happy it was featured. “Of course it went up!” was added by another. That is a very good piece. A third person added, “That’s some baseball!”

* Subscribe to Mirror Celebs’ Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Threads accounts.

Source: Mirror