This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 1/21/2017
Any discussion of the Golden Age of Baseball is incomplete without mentioning the era’s greatest umpire, Bill Klem. Known even during his career as “The Father of Baseball Umpires”, Klem arbitrated in the National League from 1905 through 1941. He worked a record 18 World Series and was, along with Tom Connolly, the very first umpire elected to the Hall of Fame. The game’s most famed ump has signed this ball along with fellow arbitrator Peter McLaughlin. Unlike Klem, McLaughlin had a more modest big league career. He was born in Lancaster, England and was a National League umpire from 1924 through 1927. The ball is a Spalding Official National League Heydler model that dates from 1926 - 1933. Since McLaughlin was an NL ump from 1924 to 1927 before spending 1928 in the minors before retiring, it can be said that the ball dates to the 1926-1927 period. The ball has taken on dark toning with agenda the shellac coating has chipped in some area, but the signatures remain fully legible.
Full LOAs from JSA and PSA/DNA.