Fine Books and Manuscripts: Featuring Important Chicago Memorabilia

Disney, Walt. Game-Used Polo Ball Signed by Walt Disney. [1935]. White wooden polo ball (3” diam.) signed “Walt Disney,” “Jack Holt,” and “Snowy Baker.” Chipping and indentations affecting part of Disney’s signature, yet still attractive. Obtained by the consigner from Tom Donaldson, whose father obtained the signatures in person in 1935. Holt, an actor best remembered for his roles in numerous Westerns, and Baker, a sports promoter and Australian Olympic boxer, were involved in a series of informal polo matches with Disney and employees of Disney Studios. In the Disney short “Mickey’s Polo Team” (1936), a polo match between Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, The Goof (Goofy), and the Big Bad Wolf is played between film stars Charlie Chaplin, Harpo Marx, and Laurel and Hardy, with other stars in the stands; the referee in the short is Holt.