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WEST BRANCH – The Herbert Hoover Presidential Museum is swinging for the fences with its new exhibit opening Saturday about “The Signature of Baseball.” “With all of our exhibits we try to tie it to the life and times of Herbert Hoover,” said Melanie Wier, assistant curator at Herbert Hoover Presidential Library-Museum. “Since he was such a big baseball fan, it just seemed like a no-brainer to do this exhibit.” At the center of the […]

Randy Kaplan, a government affairs specialist from New York, never leaves home without a baseball. After all, he said, “you never know who you’ll sit next to on an airplane.” For 18 years he’s kept the balls handy for his growing collection of baseballs signed by world leaders and heads of state. He’s a lifelong collector — beginning with baseball cards and comic books as a kid — but it wasn’t until he met former […]

The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum is Proud to Present: “The Signature of Baseball”: Featuring the Randy L. Kaplan Collection of Autographed Baseballs from World Leaders and Heads of State (Jan 1, 2015) Long Island, New York. — The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in West Branch, Iowa is pleased to announce that from January 24, 2015 through March 22, 2015, it will be exhibiting the internationally recognized Randy L. Kaplan Collection of autographed […]

AUSTIN — Some people collect trading cards, others collect stamps or comic books. New York lobbyist Randy Kaplan collects baseballs — signed by world leaders. Part of Kaplan’s collection — consisting of 116 former and sitting domestic and foreign officials — is on currently on display at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library and Museum at the University of Texas at Austin. “I’m so passionate about this and I want to share it with everybody,” […]

Collector Randy Kaplan stopped by Good Day Austin to talk about a new exhibit at the LBJ Library called “On the Ball: A Collection of Heads of State Signatures,” featuring  the Randy L. Kaplan Collection of Autographed Baseballs from World Leaders and Heads of State.  

In 1993, Randy Kaplan met President George H.W. Bush, igniting an interest that would become his lifelong passion. For the most avid baseball fans, it’s a dream to get a ball autographed by their favorite player. but Kaplan dreams of having baseballs signed by world leaders. “I was blown away by these baseballs that were thrown out on opening day by pitchers and presidents,” Kaplan said. “I said, ‘What a great concept. I really need […]

The elite autograph hunters who chase the most elusive and notorious leaders in the world. Click through to the original article for audio.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A trip to the Lyndon B Johnson Presidential Library in Austin is usually full of history, and politics. But a new exhibit throws a bit of a curveball. The museum is currently showing a collection of more than a hundred baseballs all signed by current and former heads of state from around the world. The display includes autographs from President Obama, The Dalai Lama, Margaret Thatcher, and several others. Randy Kaplan has […]

The Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library and Museum is Proud to Present: “On the Ball: A Collection of Heads of State Signatures” featuring the Randy L. Kaplan Collection of Autographed Baseballs from World Leaders and Heads of State (June 24, 2014) Long Island, New York. — The Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library and Museum in Austin, Texas is pleased to announce that from June 24, 2014 through December 14, 2014, it will exhibiting a portion of […]

These are some of the top names from the autograph collection of Randy Kaplan. He launched his collection in 1996, with the autograph of Bill Clinton, and has collected 130 autographed baseballs to date. I’m always on the look out for attention-grabbing stats, so when I heard the most valuable autograph of a living person in the world belonged to Fidel Castro, I thought — there’s a cool business story. But as soon as I […]

A few years ago, former Nigerian president General Olusegun Obasanjo checked into a New York City hotel. The phone rang. On the line was a man named Randy Kaplan, who had been calling the hotel and asking for Obasanjo’s room for hours. Obasanjo did not know Kaplan. As the target of a 1976 coup attempt, Obasanjo was a careful man. But something about Kaplan’s offer intrigued him, and he invited him to come to his […]

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (March 3, 2012) – Hall of Famer, Arkansas native and friend of Bill Clinton, Lou Brock helped to open an exhibit at the Clinton Libary on Friday that features of the best artifacts the St. Louis Cardinals own from their history. “Play Ball! The St. Louis Cardinals” opens today at 9 a.m. and will be a featured part of the William J. Clinton Presidential Library through September. “I’m proud to welcome my […]

News 12 Long Island Piece on the Randy L. Kaplan Collection of Signed Baseballs from World Leaders.

Many may think the Dalai Lama and the late Pakistani leader Benazir Bhutto have nothing to do with baseball.  But Randy Kaplan, the government affairs director at the Long Island Board of Realtors, got them to autograph baseballs he always carries around – ever since he started a signed baseball collection 12 years ago. “There’s no greater piece of Americana than baseball,” he said. “It shows they’re willing to be part of a collection of […]

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