The line between hobby and obsession is a gray area that Dennis Schrader lives in. The 65 year-old Florida resident has been collecting autographed baseballs since he was nine and now has 4,020 baseballs signed by Major League players. After five years of attempts, Guinness now recognizes it as the largest signed baseball collection in the world.
Originally, Guinness rejected Schrader's request because all the balls were not authenticated. After compiling extensive documentation to back up the legitimacy of the balls, his legacy was finally recognized. Schrader estimates that the uninsured collection is worth $2-3 million. He houses the baseballs in a 12-by-14-foot room that has foot-thick walls. The elaborate setup also includes a bank vault door, motion sensors and a video-camera surveillance system.
Counting duplicates and non-baseball celebrities, the collection totals 4,600 signed baseballs. This includes a baseball signed by President Barack Obama, as well as one singed by Millvina Dean, the last known living survivor of the Titanic, who died in May of 2009.
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