Entry No. 10 — the Tampa file — filed under: history
St. Petersburg Museum of History
Collector Dennis Schrader spent over 60 years amassing the world's largest collection of autographed baseballs, certified by Guinness World Records. The exhibit houses over 5,000 signed balls, featuring legends like Babe Ruth alongside curveballs signed by Neil Armstrong, Fidel Castro, and Marilyn Monroe.
The story
Most people strolling toward the St. Petersburg Pier expect standard regional archives, historic postcards, and century-old fishing tackle. What they actually stumble upon inside the St. Petersburg Museum of History is a glass-cased obsession assembled over 60 years by a single collector named Dennis Schrader: Schrader's Little Cooperstown, officially certified by Guinness World Records as the largest collection of autographed baseballs on Earth.
The archive holds over 5,000 signed balls, but the real pull isn't just the Hall of Fame roster headed by Babe Ruth. It's the absurdly wide net Schrader cast beyond sports. As you scan the rows, you'll find ink on leather from figures who had no business holding a regulation baseball— Neil Armstrong, Marilyn Monroe, Fidel Castro, and a succession of U.S. presidents. It reads less like sports memorabilia and more like a bizarre cross-section of 20th-century geopolitical and pop culture history.
What it's like
You will find the museum sitting right at the approach to the St. Petersburg Pier. The baseball display dominates its space with floor-to-ceiling glass cabinets housing thousands of white leather spheres mounted on clear stands. Plan to spend about an hour leaning against the glass searching for the strange non-athlete signatures tucked between legendary outfielders. If you are timing your visit, look out for $6 Sunday discount admission promos before buying tickets at the door.
The move: Challenge each other to locate the most absurd non-athlete signatures in the glass cases—from US presidents to pop culture icons.
- 📍 St. Petersburg Pier
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 335 2nd Ave NE, St. Petersburg, FL 33701
Hours: Added 2026-07-21 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- The Dalí Museum — Pair the world's largest autographed baseball stash with high surrealism just 0.6 miles down the waterfront inside a geodesic glass dome.
- Culture Shock Oddities & Tattoo Studio — Swap thousands of signed baseballs for dark taxidermy and true crime artifacts a mile away in downtown St. Pete.
- Security Lizard by Paul Eppling — Head west into town to inspect a 30-foot, 4,000-pound scrap-metal lizard perched on top of the municipal Fleet Maintenance Building.
- Dirty Laundry — Follow up an afternoon of odd historical records by dialing a payphone inside a fake laundromat to reach a hidden cocktail lounge.
Good to know
How many autographed baseballs are on display?
The exhibit features over 5,000 autographed baseballs, all collected by Dennis Schrader over six decades.
Are there non-baseball personalities in the collection?
Yes. Beyond Hall of Fame athletes like Babe Ruth, the collection includes balls signed by Neil Armstrong, Marilyn Monroe, Fidel Castro, and several U.S. presidents.
Where is the museum located?
It sits at the base of the St. Petersburg Pier at 335 2nd Ave NE in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: spmoh.org · lonelyplanet.com · Atlas Obscura · Official site · visitstpeteclearwater.com
last checked: 2026-07-21