The ball soon found its way into the famous personal collection of fellow ump Durwood Merrill, for whom Barnett signed "Best Wishes, Larry Barnett, 1981 World Series Umpire." Merrill then added, "10-28-81, Game 6 World Series, Last Out- LA 9 - NY 2," per Barnett's instructions. Two letters of provenance from Merrill attest, the latter penned to Swirsky personally, recalling the gift from colleague Barnett.

As the memorabilia craze has reached the mainstream, players have become educated in the value and importance of last out balls, so the odds that newer models will find their way into the collecting hobby have diminished considerably. But this final out from a victory over the hated Yanks carries more appeal than most, and should be considered essential bidding for any serious Dodgers booster. Letters of provenance from Durwood Merrill (2). Pre-certified by PSA/DNA (autographs). Auction LOA from James Spence Authentication (autographs).