Baseball signed by Pope Francis. (RR Auction via SWNS)
By Ben Barry
A baseball signed by Pope Francis is set to fetch up to $15,000 at auction during the conclave to decide the next pontiff.
Randy Kaplan, a longtime collector from Long Island, New York, spent years trying to obtain "one of the rarest autographs in the world."
During Pope Francis's 2015 visit to the US, Randy appealed to a high-ranking Vatican official, and a few months later, a package arrived from Vatican City.
Pope Francis died at 88 on April 21, 2025. (RR Auction via SWNS)
It contained a Rawlings Major League baseball signed by Pope Francis with the word 'Francisco' written across it in black ink.
The package also contained two sets of rosary beads, a Vatican coin, and four glossy photos of Pope Francis with a printed signature.
The souvenir is now on auction at RR Auction in Boston, Massachusetts, and is expected to fetch around $15k.
Randy said, "The Pope is one of the toughest signatures on the planet to acquire.
"I tried for years to get Pope Benedict to sign a baseball. The results were never positive."
In addition to the baseball from Pope Francis, Randy has baseballs signed by 24 high-ranking Cardinals who are currently voting on who will be the next Pope.
