Roger Maris Funeral Program Signed by Mickey Mantle (and Richard Nixon)

[robbieg]

Originally Posted by packs

I think Nixon's signature actually devalues the piece a lot. Mickey by himself would have been a pretty cool item. But Nixon's signature not only hurts the item's appeal aesthetically, but he has no association with Maris.

While I am not under the impression that President Nixon's autograph enhances the value of the piece, I do not buy the fact that it diminishes the value of the pieces in any real way. And if you find someone who collects sports and politics autographs like me, it will being a premium.

President Nixon does have an association with Maris and with the Yankees.

The president and Maris corresponded at length during Maris' illness. These letters have been displayed publicly. The two of them also attended a Yankee game together before Maris passed away. For these reasons, and probably others, President Nixon attended the Maris funeral.

As far as President Nixon's association with the Yankees: Major League Baseball suspended George Steinbrenner, a friend of the president's, for making illegal campaign contributions to the Committee to Re-elect the President (CREEP - I'm sure y'all know this acronym from Watergate history) - and, although this was an unpleasant episode, Steinbrenner remained friends with Nixon for the rest of the president's life.