YORKTOWN, N.Y. — For decades, Supervisor Ed Lachterman has been collecting autographs—many of them on baseballs, but not all from baseball players. The hobby, he said, he picked up from his mother.
“I like baseballs as a medium for autographs because they are easy to display.”
While he displays them at home, he said they aren’t seen by many.
So when the John C. Hart Memorial Library invited him to showcase his collection, he jumped at the opportunity.
“It is an honor and a privilege for me to do so,” he said.
Lachterman’s collection includes balls signed by the trio many regard as the greatest center fielders of all time—Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, and Duke Snider—as well as virtually all of the Yankees' 1978 championship squad (with a card representing the missing signature of the late, great Thurman Munson) and even musicians like Carlos Santana.
“The display also includes balls signed by political figures, the pitchers and catchers from three Yankees perfect games, and more,” Lachterman said.
Yvonne Cech, library director, said what she finds exciting about the displays—which are typically booked six months in advance—is that they are diverse and reflect “the rich tapestry of interests within our local community.”
She added that the library is “delighted” to feature Lachterman’s “personal collection of baseball and sports memorabilia at our public library.”
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