Hinton man selling signed Mickey Mantle print, hopes to fund “Field of Dreams” diamond

HINTON, WV (WVNS) — Robert Ray Brown first acquired the print in 1989 when he was still living in Sarasota, Florida.

One of only 1,000 ever made, the print shows “the Mick” in various poses wearing his pinstriped Yankees uniform with his playing years printed on it.

Brown was lucky enough to get the print signed in 1990, but his first meeting with the Yankees team was long before that back when Brown himself was still a rookie.

“I actually, and I got to tell them about it, the Yankees back then, when I met them, I threw a baseball game where no one touched the ball. I threw all strikes. No balls. Complete strikes for the entire game,” said Brown.

Brown has loved baseball since he was a kid and has met several of the sport’s greatest players aside from Mantle.

So, why does he want to sell this rare and beloved print?

Brown said it is because of his love of baseball and the fond memories he had playing and watching the game as a kid.

“If there was a ball diamond like this up in the country, up somewhere where you don’t have all this construction going on. I would love to see one like Field of Dreams,” said Brown.

Brown said that most of the proceeds will be donated to the children of Summers County in hopes of building the county’s own Field of Dreams.

The hope is that the love of baseball can be passed on to the newer generations.

The original artist of the painting the print was made from is Ted Watts, a prolific sports memorabilia artist.

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