Two single signed late 1940's baseballs from the great Connie Mack, a legendary player, manager and team owner.
Both are signed on the east panels of the balls in period ink in Mack's unique penmanship and have Beckett LOA's.
One is personalized "To Paul" (signature still bold) and the other "To Don" (signature has some fading). The "Don" was a then-teenager Don Donoher, who later went on to be an outstanding basketball player and College Basketball Hall of Fame Coach (inducted 2015), both at the University of Dayton. Coach Donoher's accomplishments at UD included a Final Four appearance in 1967, NIT championship in 1968 and an Elite 8 appearance in 1984.
Provenance from the Don Donoher family:
These Connie Mack baseballs were signed before the game on Monday, August 25, 1947 at Briggs Stadium, Philadelphia Athletics @ Detroit Tigers (the A’s won 7-5).
Father Walsh, a priest in the Basilian Order (Congregation of St. Basil), had worked in the Detroit Tigers clubhouse as a young kid. In the mid-1940’s Father Walsh became friends with Paul Donoher when Paul was in the seminary. Fr. Walsh took Paul and his younger brother Don Donoher to the baseball game in Detroit where they had access to the Philadelphia dugout and clubhouse during pregame batting practice. Fr. Walsh was able to get the Donoher brothers each a baseball signed by the Athletics Manager, Connie Mack. Don Donoher was a freshman in high school at the time.