Cooperstown, 1987: The Commemorative Clock Presented to Catfish Hunter for His Hall of Fame Induction

Catfish Hunter's career ended early, but the résumé is hard to argue with. He won 224 games and five World Series championships, and he retired at 33. He threw a perfect game in 1968, won the 1974 Cy Young Award, and became the first modern free agent when an arbitrator voided his Oakland contract in December 1974. The name itself came from his owner. Charlie Finley gave Hunter the nickname "Catfish" to generate fan interest, and the two later fell out over a contract dispute. Hunter went on to join the Yankees and win two more titles, and he appeared in six of the seven World Series from 1972 to 1978.

This commemorative clock was presented to Hunter to mark his 1987 induction into the Hall of Fame. He was elected that year along with Billy Williams, on his third ballot, with 76.3 percent of the vote. The induction raised an obvious question about which team's cap he'd wear on his plaque, and Hunter famously refused to choose between the Athletics and the Yankees, saying he loved both. He died in 1999 of ALS at 53, just 12 years after the induction, which makes keepsakes from the 1987 celebration especially meaningful. A personal piece presented to Hunter for the biggest honor in baseball is a direct link to the day he joined the game's immortals.