George Sosnak Al Kaline Hand-Painted Baseball

Elaborate folk-art tribute ball hand-painted by former minor-league umpire George Sosnak (1922-1992) commemorating the baseball career of Detroit Tigers Hall of Fame outfielder Al Kaline. An illustration of Kaline appears on two panels. All of the remaining surface area features Sosnak's meticulous hand-painted lettering that provides copious biographical information pertaining to Kaline's career, including a listing of his batting statistics through the 1963 season, which appear just above a Kaline ballpoint signature. Although Sosnak was a prolific artist, by some accounts creating over 800 illustrated baseballs, the popularity of his works has continued to grow with each passing decade. Sosnak is nearly as well known in the folk-art community as he is in the field of baseball collectibles, so it is no surprise that examples of his work can be found in both the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, and the American Folk Art Museum in New York City. One of Sosnak's balls (detailing JFK’s Opening Day pitch at a 1962 Senators game) can even be found in the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library. In Near Mint condition.