This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/27/2023
Dr. James Naismith, a native of Almonte, Ontario, Canada, is credited as the inventor of basketball. After moving to the U.S. in the late 1880s and teaching at the YMCA International Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts (now called Springfield College), Naismith created the game of basketball by using an oversized ball and two peach baskets. This lot features a cut signature display that showcases a 1933 photo of Naismith holding a basketball; an team photo (with nine players and Naismith) taken on the steps of the Springfield College gymnasium in 1891; an engraved plaque touting Naismith’s bio; and an authentic cut signature from Naismith next to his portrait image inscribed, “Sincerely Yours James Naismith Lawrence Kansas”, which is where he went in 1898 to teach and establish the very first basketball program at Kansas University. Comes nicely matted and framed to dimensions of 17" x 19". The signature (8/10 in strength) has been authenticated by Beckett and will come with a full LOA.