I'll add a couple from my humble collection.
When my grandmother passed in 1988, one of her neighbors gave me 2 autographed baseballs. They were a "thank you" for my grandmother being so good to him through the years, cooking him dinner, etc. One was a signed Ted Williams ball, although not an official ball. The other was a 1978 San Diego Padres team signed ball. Kind of random, but HOFers include Billy Herman, Ozzie Smith, Dave Winfield, and Gaylord Perry.
My father and I attended HOF Induction Weekend every year from 1987-1998, and then again in 2007 and 2008 before he passed in 2009. in 1992, like many people who graph the golf course, I had struck out. I thought to myself "If HOFers golf, I wonder if any of them play tennis?" I strolled by the tennis courts to find Ted Williams sitting there watching some tennis. I had done a lot of IP graphing in my time, but getting Ted Williams in person, for free, is literally the most nervous I have ever been. My knees were shaking. I remember sprinting back up to Main Street to find my Dad and tell him. We were both so excited. I wish he was there.
