Baseball: America’s Home Run

April 9, 2022 - January 5, 2025

FROM FAN LETTERS and post office baseball teams to the worlds of stamp and baseball memorabilia collecting, Baseball: America’s Home Run / Béisbol: El Jonrón de los EE.UU. explores our national pastime through a unique, postal lens. Using material from the National Postal Museum’s collection; original stamp art from the United States Postal Service; and artifacts loaned by other Smithsonian museums, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, and private collectors, this exhibition explores the surprising ways that baseball and postal history have been deeply intertwined since the early twentieth century.

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Lou Gehrig’s jersey worn during the 1937, 1938, and 1939 seasons.
Loan from The Stephen Wong Collection

In celebration of the recent 150th Anniversary of Professional Baseball the National Postal Museum’s Baseball exhibit features historic objects loaned from renowned private collections that have never before been on public display. These rare artifacts—exclusively shared with the public as part of the exhibition—showcase a treasure trove of historically significant game-worn uniforms, jackets, hats, game-used bats, and memorabilia from America’s pastime. Artifacts from the stars of the major leagues ensure that this exhibition is a must-visit for anyone who loves the game.

A special note of appreciation to Mr. Stephen Wong, who generously shared items from his private collection—many of the game’s most historically significant uniforms and other treasured collectibles—for this exhibit. These objects add to the richness of the story we are telling, creating a profound visitor experience.

44c Negro Leagues Baseball: Play at the Plate stamp, 2010

Four themes—Creating Baseball, We All Play Ball, The Negro Leagues, and Legendary Playing Fields—explore the history and experience of baseball.

Students with museum staff show stamp designs

Baseball: America’s Home Run offers a suite of public programs that attract large audiences for unique and special experiences surrounding the exhibition and its content.

Screenshot of an object display in the Learning Lab website

Students and teachers alike can learn more about Baseball: America’s Home Run through a variety of educational opportunities and classroom resources that meet national standards of learning for PreK-12 learners.

Preservation work on original stamp art.

Explore behind the scenes projects such as object treatment and the design and installation process with museum staff in preparation for the exhibition.

32 cent Giving and Sharing stamp

Support and sponsorship of Baseball: America’s Home Run at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum provides a range of benefits that can be customized to reflect the priorities of both individual and corporate supporters.

Baseball: America’s Home Run

April 9, 2022 - January 5, 2025
Exhibition

9 de abril de 2022 - 5 de enero de 2025
Desde cartas de aficionados y equipos de béisbol de la oficina postal hasta el mundo del coleccionismo de recuerdos y estampillas del béisbol, la exposición Béisbol: el Jonrón de los EE.UU. explora nuestro pasatiempo nacional desde un punto de vista único, como es el de la lente postal.

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