Sports and Recreation

Topical Reference Page

Postal hockey team jersey — Albany District Dutchmen hockey jersey

The National Postal Museum proudly celebrates the rich legacy of American sports including its athletes, events and accomplishments through a variety of online resources. Explore the links below to discover how stamps and postal history objects showcase this important thread of the American cultural quilt.

1962 World Cup First Day Cover from Chile

Object Spotlight

/object/npm_0.245704.4Beginning in 1934, and continuing into today, host nations have had the honor of issuing World Cup themed stamps. The 1930 inaugural competition in...

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Mexico Via Airmail - 1968 Olympic Games

Exhibition

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2010 World Cup Soccer Championships souvenir sheet

2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa

Exhibition

This virtual exhibition highlights a great sports tradition, featuring stamps from several of the countries that have previously been honored with hosting the tournament.

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About U.S. Stamps - American Turners Issue

Exhibition

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Women on Stamps: Part 2 - Athletes

Exhibition

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Art of the Stamp - Athletics

Exhibition

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New York City - Baseball

Exhibition

New York City once had three major league teams: the New York Yankees, the Brooklyn Dodgers, and the New York Giants. Fourteen World Series match-ups have pitted New York City teams against one another, and the famed Yankees have won the World Series 27 times. When a New Yorker (James Farley) became Postmaster General, he approved the issuance of the first baseball stamp in 1939 commemorating the baseball centennial.

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3-cent Baseball Centennial sandlot baseball game single

About U.S. Stamps - Baseball Centennial Issue

Exhibition

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Baseball Hidden Image

For young learners: Get excited for our upcoming exhibition "Baseball: America's Home Run" with this fun hidden image game! Can you find all ten objects in the picture of the museum?

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Baseball: America’s Home Run

April 9, 2022 - January 5, 2025

Exhibition

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.

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screenshot of four people participating in an online program

Baseball: America’s Home Run - Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Roberto Clemente

Exhibition

Join the National Postal Museum for a reading of the children's book Clemente! by the book's author, Willie Perdomo. Hear the Q&A with Perdomo and with Roberto Clemente, Junior, the son of the legendary Pittsburgh Pirate Roberto Clemente. Explore museum objects related to Clemente from the Postal Museum's exhibition Baseball: America’s Home Run.

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The American Indian in Postage Stamps - Jim Thorpe

Exhibition

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Related Blogs

Baseball card woth illustration of Honus Wagner wearing a Pittsburg jersey

T206 Honus Wagner, PSA 5 Baseball Card

05.12.2022

A T206 Honus Wagner baseball card, graded a 5 on a scale of 1 to 10 by third-party sports grading service, Professional Sports Authenticator (“PSA”), is featured in Baseball: America’s Home Run. The card is the second highest graded example known and one of the most important pieces of sports memorabilia in existence.

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Louisville Slugger Bat used by Ty Cobb, on exhibit

Ty Cobb 1910-1915 Louisville Slugger Game Used Bat

04.06.2022

If baseball is akin to war, its most ferocious warrior must have been Ty Cobb. Here we present Cobb's main weapon: his Louisville Slugger bat.

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Roberto Clemente game-used bat on display in a museum case

Roberto “Momen” Clemente 1960 Louisville Slugger Professional Model Game Used Bat

04.06.2022

The most prized and desired bats are those which exhibit physical markings that reveal personal traits associated with use by that ballplayer. This Louisville Slugger professional model bat perhaps epitomizes this phenomenon the most—all of its physical markings pertain to use by Clemente.

Learn more About Roberto “Momen” Clemente 1960 Louisville Slugger Professional Model Game Used Bat