Heavenly Home Run: Pope Francis’s Signed Baseball May Sell for $15K
Guys, I’m wired on espresso and sprinting through details like my kitchen’s on fire—so buckle up because this one’s wild! A baseball autographed by Pope Francis is about to step up to the plate in an upcoming estate auction, and experts estimate it could knock it out of the park for up to $15,000. According to TMZ and corroborated by Catholic News Service, the round leather souvenir was gifted by His Holiness himself to a retiring Vatican official during a 2016 interfaith sports symposium. That official passed away late last year, and now the keepsake is changing hands—big time.
The ball comes complete with official Vatican Museum provenance paperwork and a certificate from PSA/DNA authentication, so you’re not just buying air and ink here. Vatican News confirms the signature was applied in person after a friendly catch at the event, making it one of the rarest pieces of papal memorabilia on the market. Auction house Heritage Auctions has slated the online sale to kick off next month, with bidding starting at $5,000 and sky-high expectations capped around $15,000.
If you think that sounds lofty, consider this: a rosary blessed by Pope John Paul II fetched more than $8,000 last year, and a signed photo of John Paul II hitting a tennis ball sold for $12,500 at Christie’s (source: Reuters, People). So when you’re eyeballing a leather sphere with Francisco’s autograph, remember you’re in seriously elite collectible territory. The Vatican’s collectibles market has surged in recent years, and sports-related items are a fresh sub-niche catching fire among both faith-based and athletic memorabilia collectors.
On top of that, auction insiders tell TMZ the lot will include a handwritten note from the retiring official, praising the unifying power of sports. Talk about a sentimental grand slam! Bidders can register online now, and Heritage Auctions says they expect heavy international interest—from devout Catholics to hardcore baseball buffs. Imagine displaying that ball under a glass dome in your living room: conversation starter? Absolutely. Investment piece? You bet.
I swear, my brain might combust from all this excitement, but I cannot stop thinking about who’ll end up with this holy homer. Will a museum snag it for posterity, or will some superfan blow their life savings on a shot at owning a piece of papal history? Stay tuned, because when the gavel falls, I’ll be first in line to spill every last detail.
Whew, I need a decaf before I explode from enthusiasm—but trust me, I could chatter about this all day!
Sources: Celebrity Storm and TMZ, Vatican News, Catholic News Service
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
