A baseball signed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been auctioned for more than $50,000, part of which will go to provide humanitarian aid to Ukrainians displaced by war with Russia, Boston auctioneer RR Auction said Thursday. 13.05.2022).
The winning bid for the Rawlings-brand major league baseball was more than three times what was expected in the midweek auction.
RR Auction will donate its $15,000 share of the sale, while seller Randy Kaplan will also donate an undisclosed portion of his proceeds to provide humanitarian aid through the global nonprofit Americares.
Kaplan is a well-known collector of signed baseballs who rarely auctions off his prized pieces.
The buyer, who wished to remain anonymous, was described by RR Auction as a “collector from the Midwestern United States who is amazed that some of the proceeds are going to the Ukraine relief effort.”
The ball is signed with black felt-tip pen in Ukrainian Cyrillic alphabet and Latin letters. He is accompanied by a letter signed by Volodimir Yelchenko, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations.
Documents signed by British naturalist Alfred Wallace, inventor Nikola Tesla, Albert Einstein and the “founding fathers of the nation” John Hancock and John Adams were also sold at the same auction.
ee (ap news)
