During the early 1960s, the New York Yankees' very own "M&M Boys" instilled a morbid fear within the hearts and psyches of opposing pitchers throughout Major League Baseball. Of course, the feeling of terror experienced by pitching staffs was well-founded, as the Mantle and Maris nearly inconceivable one-two punch totaled 115 moonshots in 1961—a feat that remains unmatched. Roughly two decades removed from their simultaneous chase of Babe Ruth's single-season home run standard, Yankee legends Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle decorated this Official American League (MacPhail) sphere with their potent, blue ballpoint signatures (“9-10”), with the former star (and one-time record holder) rightfully occupying the sweet spot. While Maris/Mantle signed baseballs are desirable in any form, the Maris sweet spot signed variety are of the utmost rarity, as Maris customarily conceded the sweet spot to the bigger personality of Mickey Mantle. To further drive home the point, accompanying this baseball is a copy of a letter from sports memorabilia icon Barry Halper who witnessed Maris’ preference first hand: “I will always remember an interesting story…that captured Roger's humble and respectful nature for me. When I asked Roger to sign a ball and told him I would be having Mickey sign it later, Roger was clear that he would only sign the side panel, insisting that he had to leave the sweet spot for Mickey.” This amazing Yankee keepsake has a few scattered spots of age-induced toning, and its stampings date it to the last eight years (1977-1984) of MacPhail's presidency—which ended shortly before Maris' passing. Yankee collectors take notice: this is likely the first and last time you will be able to acquire this scarce variation of the coveted Maris and Mantle dual signed ball! Accompanied by a Letter of Authenticity from James Spence Authentication (JSA).
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