A baseball autographed by Pope Francis is being auctioned off to the very best bidder within the wake of his dying … and it might find yourself promoting for over 5 figures.

The late pontiff signed a baseball a number of years in the past … scribbling “Francisco” in black felt-tip pen on a Rawlings MLB ball … and now that he is lifeless, the memento is hitting the open market.

The baseball goes up on the market by RR Public sale … the place it is anticipated to fetch a minimum of $15,000.

Randy L. Kaplan, a authorities affairs specialist in New York, acquired the ball signed after working with the Vatican to get Francis and Pope Benedict XVI to go away their John Hancocks on baseballs.

Randy’s been accumulating signed Main League baseballs from world leaders and heads of state since 1996, beginning with Invoice Clinton … and he says he has greater than 450 signed balls in his assortment.

The public sale home tells us the successful bidder will even take residence Kaplan’s correspondence with Vatican officers concerning his efforts to get Francis and Benedict XVI to signal.

One of many letters is from Cardinal Peter Ok. A. Turkson and it reads, partially: “Regretfully, I opened the packing containers with the baseballs earlier than studying your message. Not realizing they have been from you, I signed them earlier than studying your letter with directions to have the Popes signal the 2 baseballs. Sorry concerning the oversight, you probably have different baseballs, kindly ship them.”

Francis died Monday from a stroke and coronary heart failure at age 88.