Original 1969 NY Mets Old Timers Commemorative Lapel Pin personally owned by National Baseball Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner (1922-2014). The gold lapel pin, measuring .5” in diameter, features the Mets logo on the front, and is engraved “Old Timers, 1969” on verso. The spring-loaded clutch back with domed top is attached to a 15-link gold chain, probably missing its bar. Otherwise in fine condition. Accompanied by a Ralph Kiner signed check.
Mets Old Timers Day was celebrated on June 28, 1969 at Shea Stadium in Flushing, NY, and it honored senior players from the early days of baseball, such as Kiner. Provenance: acquired directly from the Kiner Family.
Over his 9-year-long professional baseball career, Ralph Kiner played left field for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1946-1953), Chicago Cubs (1953-1954), and Cleveland Indians (1955). He was a 7x home run leader, with a lifetime batting average of .279. After a serious back injury, Kiner retired at age 32. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1975, and the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 1984.
Kiner returned to the sport as an Emmy award winning sportscaster. He hosted his own segment called "Kiner's Korner" and commentated Chicago White Sox and New York Mets games for 53 seasons, making him the third-longest active baseball sportscaster of all time.