Jack Kerouac Personally Owned Reversible Baseball Dart Board, with Outstanding Provenance

A "Champion" reversible baseball dart board personally owned and used by Jack Kerouac (1922-1969), the famous American writer who brought us On The Road (1957). Provenance: The piece will be accompanied by an estate certification signed by John Shen-Sampas, executor of the Kerouac Estate by descent. John Shen-Sampas is the son of John Sampas, who was the brother-in-law of Jack Kerouac, and the brother of Stella Kerouac, Jack's wife.

The dart board is reversible, and was used to play two games: traditional darts and baseball darts. The board is comprised of tightly wound bands of paper (possibly homasote fiber) surrounding a red-painted cork bull's eye at center. The company name "Champion" appears on the obverse side while the reverse side shows a simplistic baseball diamond complete with the labels "Strike", "Ball", and "Foul". Accompanied by an English-made dart with green plastic shaft and four-bladed flight. Expected wear including the marks of numerous dart holes on both sides. The outermost fibrous bands are currently partly unwound. Else near fine. 13.25" diameter.

Did Jack Kerouac, a consummate bar fly, first learn how to play darts at one of the local watering holes he frequented? Kerouac was a regular at Gunther's Tap Room in Northport, Long Island the year following the publication of On the Road. Patrons recalled how the author, in between beers, surreptitiously gulped down liquor that he had stowed away in a briefcase. The bar was stripped down to its essentials: pool tables, dart boards, beer, and frozen pizza.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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