Granddad's signed balls

helionaut · May 25, 2005 12:19PM

A friend called me tonight with some interesting news. She visited her 89-year-old grandfather this weekend and brought back 2 old baseballs of his that are covered with autographs. He was always a big baseball fan. He worked at a hotel in San Antonio for about 50 years and when he was younger he used to get autographs from players staying there, I guess on barnstorming or spring training trips. She said they were all browned and the signatures worn off from age and her mother playing catch with them during her childhood. She read me the names she could make out. One ball had Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Duke Snider, Sandy Koufax, Gil Hodges, Joe Pignatano, Don Zimmer, Joe Page, and others. The other was in worse shape but one name she could make out clearly was Ralph Kiner, one was possibly Robert Dillinger, and another might be Bill Howerton. So it sounds like possibly the Yankees and Dodgers came to town in the 50s. Maybe the Yanks between '47 and '50 and the Dodgers between '56 and '60 and he got them all on the same ball. Dillinger played from '46 to '51, the last year with Kiner and Howerton in Pittsburgh, so it might be a 1951 Pirates team ball or close to it.

I'm excited. I'm going over to her house tomorrow night and will check them out. I can probably borrow them and get some pictures taken, which I'll post here for identification help. Warm up your autograph databases and stay tuned.

Did you know Joe Page was called The Gay Reliever? That's kind of unfortunate.

EagleEyeKid · May 25, 2005 12:27PM

Cool, can't wait to see some pics of grandpa's balls

Stone193 · May 25, 2005 12:32PM

Helio
Cool story! I'm looking forward. BTW, if you have never tried posting a ball/pics - if you have a ball cube, you can place it in the scanner and the ball won't move around and take really nice scans - it's easier than trying to get a good focus on a digital camera IMO.

This was taken with my scanner and a ball cube.

mike

Gemmy10 · May 25, 2005 12:48PM

As long as one is not descended.

Knuckles · May 25, 2005 12:48PM

Man, I have to get a better scanner. I can't even scan slabbed cards without them appearing fuzzy.

yankeeno7 · May 25, 2005 3:14PM

hehehehehe...you said granddad's balls

Seriously though, they sound like awesome items...hope we get to see some pics!

SoFLPhillyFan · May 25, 2005 6:58PM

Thank God.......at least those balls are signed and not tatooed.

helionaut · May 26, 2005 11:41AM

OK, I got the scans. I must say they're better than I thought. When I picked them up today my friend called her g-dad and he said that some came from guys playing in the Spanish-American league. I never heard of that, and I haven't done any research, but I suppose it could've been a winter league or a defunct minor or independent league. I find it hard to believe Joe D played in a winter league in this time-frame, but I think he may be right as there are several guys who had cups o'coffee in the majors and may have been playing in the minors or winter leagues. He also mentioned the St. Louis Browns, for whom several of the players on ball 2 played around 1949-1951. Anyway, they are in all sorts of different inks, so they might've been signed at any number of different times. No indicia survives on any of the balls, no league or president's sig or anything, though ball 2 does have a shadow of something. Any help IDing sigs would be appreciated.

Ball 1 flap 1: Don Drysdale, Gil Hodges, Sandy Koufax

Ball 1 flap 2: Joe Page, Walt Alston, Roger Craig, Ransom "Randy" Jackson

Ball 1 flap 3: Duke Snider, Joe Pignatano, Clem Labine, Don Zimmer

Ball 1 flap 4: Yogi Berra, Phil Rizzuto, Bill Johnson?

Ball 1 flap sweet spot: Joe DiMaggio

Ball 2 flap 1: Eddie Pellegrini, Bill Sommers, Charlie Grimm

Ball 2 flap 2: Ray Martin?, Phil Cavaretta?, ???, Ken Wood

Ball 2 flap 3: ???, ???, Ralph Kiner

Ball 2 flap 4: Bob Dillinger, R---Roberts?, Joe Ostrowski, Dixie Walker, ???, ???, ???

Ball 2 flap 4 part 2:

Ball 2 flap sweet spot: ???

I must say that I've never handled anything like these items before. Ball 1 especially is awesome, even all beat up like it is. To hold a ball with so many huge names is pretty special.

jerster · May 26, 2005 12:48PM

ok dude, those are some nice balls. I'd love to hold them and ....wait. Let me stop.

Seriously, some sweets sigs there.

That's prob Robin Roberts, yeah?

Lothar52 · May 26, 2005 1:37PM

have them send to psa for authentication.....be worth a mint no????

mudflap02 · May 26, 2005 2:06PM

Looks like Dixie Wrecked to me.

bengineno9 · May 26, 2005 3:10PM

Take a guess.

helionaut · July 4, 2005 9:23AM

The inevitable question has come up: what are they worth? I realize that there is an odd assortment of names and the provenance could be considered questionable, but the g-father says he'd rather have the money than the balls. The condition of both balls is also a problem as they've obviously been roughly handled, at least prior to being signed. I'm thinking that the Yanks/Dodgers ball would be worth a couple hundred, at least, given the prominence of deceased names like Hodges, DiMaggio, and Drysdale, plus Koufax and Snider, etc. The other ball I don't think would fetch very much at all. And I'm thinking ebay is the only way to go with them, they aren't nice enough to send to an auction house.

I don't think it would be worth the money to have them PSADNAd, especially the second ball. I can't understand their pricing system, anyway, but it looks like it would cost at least a couple hundred per ball. Why can't PSA put together a simple chart for their services and simple instructions to explain it? Probably for the same reason that tallboy cards can't be graded on the same order as standard cards.

So does anyone have an estimate as to what they'd bring, or even better, a desire to purchase them? I'd like to see them stay in the family, as would my friend and her parents, but the old man is ready to let them go. I think they'll just buy them from him themselves, give him a couple hundred dollars and keep them.

SoFLPhillyFan · July 4, 2005 9:32AM

<< <i>Helio
Cool story! I'm looking forward. BTW, if you have never tried posting a ball/pics - if you have a ball cube, you can place it in the scanner and the ball won't move around and take really nice scans - it's easier than trying to get a good focus on a digital camera IMO.

This was taken with my scanner and a ball cube.

mike >>

Great tip Mike.

I would put my balls in a cube but think I would have to have my pants specially tailored.

I apply firm pressure to the lid when scanning my balls. It gives a nice effect and keeps them from moving around.

The Rose ball - does the other side say "$100 - NL + 2"?

Tipem · July 4, 2005 9:39AM

Helio,

I would take them to the National,which is 3 weeks away and walk the floor with them.There will be a few guys that could possibly authenticate them as well as give you an approximate value.

Vic

jrdolan · July 4, 2005 10:33AM

Those are some awesome sigs, despite the wear and tear. If your goal is to sell, authentication will be well worth your time and expense.

Every time I see this thread titled "Granddad's signed balls" I think of Ted William's heirs and what they might ... uh, never mind what I was thinking. Next!

WinPitcher · July 4, 2005 10:38AM

Nice items Helio, I would definitly look into getting them authenticated. many balls from that era have what they call clubhouse sigs so that would help in that regard. best of luck.

Steve D

OilCanBoydCollector · July 4, 2005 11:15AM

Oh man, those balls made me drool.

NickM · July 5, 2005 4:44AM

I think Murry Dickson might be the first name below Dixie Walker.

Nick

Granddad's signed balls

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