Richard Nixon Autographed Baseball Presented to Joe DiMaggio.

NIXON, Richard (Joe DiMaggio).

$7,800.00

Item Number: 95226

Rare baseball signed by President Richard Nixon on the sweetspot. From the personal collection of Baseball Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio. Accompanied by an original black and white photograph of DiMaggio and Nixon shaking hands in the White House, also from DiMaggio’s personal collection. In near fine condition. Included is letter of provenance from DiMaggio’s estate signed by his two granddaughters. An exceptional association linking two American icons.

President Richard Nixon was an avid baseball fan, he attended 11 games while serving in office and, in 1985, he arbitrated the dispute between the Major League Baseball owners and umpires over expanded league playoff bonuses. Nixon made headlines when on June 22, 1972, a reporter covering the upcoming national election asked the President to name his all-time favorite ballplayers. Nixon's long list of great players inspired the reporter to make a unique request: the first ever presidential All-Star team. With the assistance of his son-in-law David Eisenhower, Nixon put together the team and it appeared in national newspapers on June 30, 1972. American baseball legend Joe DiMaggio is widely considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time, and is best known for his 56-game hitting streak (May 15 – July 16, 1941), a record that still stands. DiMaggio was one of the first sportsmen recognized in the Presidential Sports Award Program, created by Richard Nixon in 1972.