Important and artistic photograph of new home run king Roger Maris as he poses with a jersey with the number 61 (created for the occasion) and the man who gave him back the ball, Sal Durante. Hardcore Yankees fans all know the name Sal Durante; a poor New York kid who bought a bleacher seat to the last game of the 1961 season in right field hoping to watch history and inadvertently became part of it! He caught Roger Maris' record setting 61st home run and then sold the ball for $5,000 (after offering to give it to Maris and allowing the star to use it as a prop for a short time) and used the money to get married. For a short time he became a sort of celebrity and his name and accomplishment survive to this very day. While we have sold a few original images of Maris and Durante together before, this is the only example of this famous image with Maris holding the jersey that we have ever seen! Issued by the United Press and stamped on the back, there is a full paper caption as well.

Size: 7x9
Designation: Vintage 1
Condition: 4.5/5
Quality: 5/5
Overall Grade: 9.5/10