Autographed baseball circa 1949-1953
seaverfan123
Posts: 20
I have an autographed official National League baseball issued by Warren Giles. I believe the ball came from an event held before the 1949 All Star Game at Ebbetts Field OR a Brooklyn Dodgers Oldtimer's Day games sometime before 1954 (It was given to me in 1982). Included are notable signatures like Roy Campanella, Hugh Duffy, Zack Wheat, Joe Medwick, Freddy Lindstrom, Cal Hubbard (umpire), Lefty O'Doul, Edd Roush, Travis Jackson, Babe Herman, Johnny Mize, George Kelly, Bobby Thompson, Ralph Branca, Van Mungo, Dolph Camilli, Mickey Owen, Dick Bartell...and five other autographs with which I can't yet determine the signers' names.
It seems some of these names (Campanella, Duffy, Wheat, Medwick, Lindstrom and Hubbard) are rare and drive significant demand on there autographs.
Given its age, the ball is "yellowish" and the signatures are faded (but still legible). Signatures do NOT appear to be stamped and the ball is not shellacked.
I'm about to submit for a Letter of Authenticity with PSA. Any idea what this ball might generate in value? Any suggestions for me to pursue for the best auction opportunity? I figure a baby boomer (especially with Brooklyn roots) ought to love this!
Thanks.
It seems some of these names (Campanella, Duffy, Wheat, Medwick, Lindstrom and Hubbard) are rare and drive significant demand on there autographs.
Given its age, the ball is "yellowish" and the signatures are faded (but still legible). Signatures do NOT appear to be stamped and the ball is not shellacked.
I'm about to submit for a Letter of Authenticity with PSA. Any idea what this ball might generate in value? Any suggestions for me to pursue for the best auction opportunity? I figure a baby boomer (especially with Brooklyn roots) ought to love this!
Thanks.
J
0
Comments
There's a lot of guys here way more knowledgeable than I am, but I'll take a crack at it.
Do a google search on the game you think it might be from, get a roster and compare it to the sigs you can't figure out. If you can narrow it down and you find that the players who signed were all there you can at least say that it was possibly from that. I wouldn't insist it's from anything unless you know positively. The Brooklyn connection isn't as strong with the other players on the ball.
You want to keep it climate controlled and in the dark to protect it.
Campanella is a desired auto but I think it's diminished by the other sigs. It still has a handfull of HOF players. Each of the players autos might be valuable if single signed, but the ball isn't worth the total of the single signatures, and IMHO it is worth more if only Campanella signed it.
Get it authenticated but not graded. If it's not nice people will be scared away by a low grade. If you're looking to sell you would rather sell "authentic" than "Poor-fair 1".
If I had to guess based on the names you wrote and the condition you described I would say probably a few hundred, maybe as much as $500, if it comes back authentic. You might do better at one of the major auction houses but the fees are pretty high and might get you right back there.
Hopefully somebody will come along and know more than I do about baseballs, I'm going only by my own experience and collection.
Good luck!