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Rare baseball signed by Henry Ford to be auctioned

Collectible fanatics rejoice: A rare baseball autographed by automotive pioneer Henry Ford can be yours, but only for a limited time. Huggins and Scott is auctioning off the rare item, which started July 26 and runs until Thursday, said the auction house in a news release. The baseball is only the second one signed by Ford to be offered at an auction. Ford Motor Company had custom-made baseballs manufactured for A Century of Progress International Exposition World's Fair in Chicago in 1933 and 1934. Some balls had a "1903 Ford 1933 Safety Glass Exhibit" logo stamped on them, while others featured an art deco "V8" logo to promote the V8 engine Ford introduced the previous year. The Safety Glass Exhibit was one of the highlights of the World's Fair. Visitors would throw baseballs at a glass target inside a screen-enclosed tunnel, with the ball ricocheting off the shatter-proof. Henry Ford signed the World Fair’s commemorative baseballs for students at the Ford Trade School in New York City on December 16, 1933. While Huggins and Scott is located in Silver Spring, Maryland, bidders can participate by going to hugginsandscott.com . The bid for the autographed ball is starting at $5,000. In 2016, the first auctioned Ford baseball was sold for $15,000. More: Vernors Michigan lighthouse collectible cans are back for third year