Baseball signed by Volodymyr Zelensky up for auction to help Ukraine

Back in 2019, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a Rawlings Major League baseball for Randy Kaplan, a popular collector of balls. Three years down the line, the autographed baseball is up for sale to provide financial aid to Zelensky’s war-torn Ukraine.

According to Boston-based auctioneer RR Auction, part of the proceeds of the baseball will go to efforts of war relief in Ukraine.

A spokesperson of the company said that the ball was initially speculated to be sold at a bid of $15,000, but has managed to surpass that amount already through its leading bid. 

“With what’s going on in the world right now it makes sense to auction it at this point because the proceeds will help the people in Ukraine,” Kaplan said in a telephone interview “What’s going on in Ukraine is a disgrace and it’s breaking my heart to see the people dying there. Their needs are just so dire right now.”

The ball is signed with black felt tip both in Ukrainian Cyrillic and in Latin letters. It is accompanied by a transmittal letter signed by Volodymyr Yelchenko, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations, which reads: “Dear Mr. Kaplan, Please find enclosed a baseball, signed by the President of Ukraine, H.E. Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the visit to New York in September 2019.”

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Randy Kaplan, a ball collector, is also a New York-based specialist of governmental affairs with several acquaintances serving in the UN and US politics. 

In 1996, Kaplan started his collection of 500 plus items after President Bill Clinton autographed a baseball for him in Washington, D.C.

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Zelensky’s autographed baseball does not mark the first time Kaplan has placed one of the items from his collection on auction. However, it marks the first time he has auctioned a ball signed by a strong world leader who he admires.

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“I am really hoping Zelensky survives this,” Kaplan said. “He’s a very brave man.”

The auction that ends May 11 also includes autographs and artifacts from Johann Sebastian Bach, Nikola Tesla, and Albert Einstein.