George Sosnak (1922-1992) was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA. He devoted his life to baseball, first as a fan of his hometown Pirates and later as an umpire in the Pioneer League (1956-58). At first, painting was just a hobby for the self-taught artist, but that changed in 1956. While he was umpiring a minor league game, a female fan -- apparently aware of his artistic skills -- asked Sosnak to paint her favorite player on a baseball. He happy obliged and, from that point on, he began to develop his niche, combining his two passions and eventually building a cult-like following as one of America's most revered folk artists. Sosnak's marvelous and incredibly tedious creations -- all 1 of 1 originals -- have been displayed at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown and the American Folk Museum in NYC. This Sosnak masterpiece commemorates the 1960 World Champion Pittsburgh Pirates, his hometown team that inspired his love for the game at an early age.
A classic example, this offered Sosnak ball is among the finest and most colorful we've ever encountered, with seemingly every square millimeter covered in Sosnak's elegant artwork and penmanship. Pirates legends Roberto Clemente and Bill Mazeroski are beautifully depicted on their own panels. The Mazeroski panel depicts the Game 7 hero, hat in hand, waving victoriously as he approaches home plate following his walk-off home run to beat the mighty Yankees. The Clemente panel shows the superstar at the plate, bat pointed towards the pitcher, as he prepares for an offering. A third panel features 1960 NL Cy Young winner, Vern Law, following through after hurling a pitch. The level of written detail, from play-by-play narration and game summaries to both team and individual stats, is astounding. It is quite possibly the most impressive and well-preserved Sosnak to surface in the market, presenting NM-MT in our book.