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Lot # 882: 1961 Roger Maris Record-Breaking 61st Home Run Program

Category: Mantle and Maris

Starting Bid: $300.00

Bids: 17 (Bid History)

Time Left: Auction closed
Lot / Auction Closed




This lot is closed. Bidding is not allowed.

Item was in Auction "Spring Classic 2022",
which ran from 5/20/2022 7:00 PM to
6/11/2022 10:00 PM



In 1961, Roger Maris was chasing Babe Ruth's Major League record of 60 home runs in a season. Despite the asterisk that the commissioner of baseball, Ford Frick, wanted to affix to any possible record, the fact remains that the most homers in a season had been Ruth's 60 and Roger Maris had tied the Babe on September 26th, and still Maris had 60 home runs going into the final regular season game on October 1, against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. Then, in the bottom of the fourth inning, Maris went up to hit against Red Sox righthander Tracy Stallard. Maris hit his 61st homer into the right field stands. The consigner of this program was at the game, and he had been keeping score in this program, and he recorded the Maris home run and then stopped scoring. The 6x9" program is 24 pages and contains the two-page scorecard, one that is in the program but has come to be unattached, but in its proper place. The program has pinholes on each corner, and a minor tear to left edge of cover. It looks like there was pen writing on cover, but it has since faded. Aside from the aforementioned conditions, the program is in good condition. The program features rosters on each team, photos, statistics, and interesting advertisements, including the now banned use of famous stars such as Whitey Ford, Warren Spann - even Roger Maris himself - pictured smoking and endorsing cigarettes. The program even has ads for the upcoming World Series (which the Yankees won) against the Cincinnati Reds. The scored program makes a valued keepsake in that it both takes us back to a record-breaking event and also paints a picture of the culture of that era.

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