Vintage Baseball Grading
TNTonPMS
Posts: 2,279 ✭✭
I recently received my LOA for my 1932 NY Yankees Team Signed baseball.
The thing I want to do now is have it graded .
The only problem I have is , I don't want to ship it "ANYWHERE"
out of fear of it becoming lost .
Do any of you guys know if there are any nationaly recognized places that I can just bring it to , to have them do the grading so I don't have to trust this absolutely beautiful baseball to the mail .
If I ever lost this ball it would absolutely kill me and I have heard stories about stuff like this getting lost in the system .
The thing I want to do now is have it graded .
The only problem I have is , I don't want to ship it "ANYWHERE"
out of fear of it becoming lost .
Do any of you guys know if there are any nationaly recognized places that I can just bring it to , to have them do the grading so I don't have to trust this absolutely beautiful baseball to the mail .
If I ever lost this ball it would absolutely kill me and I have heard stories about stuff like this getting lost in the system .
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Comments
I don't know too much about E-bay right now .
Would that mean that I have to sell it ?
I'm not looking to sell it, I just think it will receive a high grade and I just want the certificate as proof .
I think that even with a ridiculous reserve it will sell in a heartbeat .
Alternately, take it to a show that Jimmy Spence is at.
Always looking for Topps Salesman Samples, pre '51 unopened packs, E90-2, E91a, N690 Kalamazoo Bats, and T204 Square Frame Ramly's
I think I will do the alternate, being he did the authenticating .
If I'm not mistaking, I think they're having an appearance some time in June locally .
Wasn't sure if they also had gotten into the grading yet .
I know they don't grade sports cards because I gave them a jingle about that a few weeks ago about that .
E-Bay just frightens me in every way .
This is why I love this Forum . . . . I value the opinion of many here .
Thank you once again .
Anthony
I'm not sure I'm clear - who issued the LOA?
I'm with Anthony/Griffins - on getting it looked at when PSA/DNA is in your area.
But also - my understanding is that if ya register something - it's pretty much ok.
But, of course, it could always get lost in the black hole of inprocessing - I've heard disaster stories on occasion - would hate for to happen to you - especially with a ball like that.
Did you scan some of the sigs and post them? If not - I would sure like to see them if ya got the time.
thanx
mike
The LOA was done by JSA .
I don't have my cam with me right now , but as soon as I get it , I'll get a pic up .
On the letter - 1931-32 World Champion New York Yankees
Manufacturer - Reach Official Americcan league model 17200
HOFers - Ruth ,Sewell, Ruffing,Combs , Dickey & Gehrig
Clubhouse - Burke <~~~ which I argue, but that's besides the point.
Quantity of signatures - 16
Lynn Larry, Tony lazzari , Hank Johnson, Chaz Ruffing , Dusty Cooke, Earle Combs, Ben Chapman , Myril Hoag, Jimmy Burke , Auther Fletcher , Geo Pipgras , Bill Dickey , Joe Sewell, Lou Gehrig , Edwin Wells and Babe Ruth .
I'm just curious on how my ball would grade compared to some of the others of this time I have seen .
I mean, if they're getting 7-8 , Mine are 10's all day long .
The baseball is only slightly off white and all the signatures are very dark and legible, you can see the RUTH from 2 blocks away .
The Ben Chapman is the only one that has really faded at all and even that you have no problem seeing .
Soon as I get my camera , i'll post though
I'm a little computer illiterate and havent figured out yet how to post the pic right to the page , so here is the link
That's off the chart! Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!
I hope you're holding onto that one!
I can't tell ya how proud I would be to have the ball!
How about some of the other sigs? Ya know you can put it on the scanner?
Thanx for taking the time - what a treat! Best item here in a long, long time.
mike
I am not gonna put it on my scanner as this baseball sees daylight about a total of 10 minutes a year, MAYBE ! and I'd be deathly afraid of the light from the scanner to do something to it , but just as soon as I get the digicam from my truck , I'll take a snap of all the sides .
Makes me proud to be able to show it to finally a group of people that can actually appreciate it .
Most of my friends look at it and are like . . . . nice .
And I think to myself , well that wasn't even worth what it took me to get it out of it's hiding spot .
And hidden it is , as most of my collection is replaceable for the most part .
This baseball is not .
Thank you for your kind reply and "THAT!" was well worth taking it out for . . . comming from someone with over 12,000 posts , you have definitely seen lots of beautiful collectibles I'm sure .
Very nice
I suppose that was some kind of metaphorical thing he was saying to me . . . " Bring it home "
That ball is nothing short of incredible! I would expect to see a ball of that stature and condition in Cooperstown.
Thank you so much for sharing that with us, it sure was a nice unexpected treat to see it.
What are they going to do for me?
If they can get me the exact same baseball, that's great , anything short of that we have a serious problem .
If, and that's a BIG if, someone were to buy it, would be worth it IMO.
I would share your concern about safety in transit - wait until Spence comes around locally, then get an opinion.
As far as the ball, I'd keep it in a safety box in a climate-controlled environment. Take good photos of it from every angle to enjoy at home. As you say, it's pretty much an irreplaceable item for you - thanks for taking the time to share it!
Matter of fact I was thinking about donating it to Cooperstown and the wife and I had argued about it .
The one thing about the baseball I do not like is having to keep it hidden , this really is something that should be shared with real baseball fans all over and I know that Cooperstown would absolutely take the best care of it and I would never have to worry about the bank getting robbed or anything like that nonsense that goes through my mind about the "what if's "
Thanks Ted for a confirmation on something I was seriously thinking about doing .
I'm a collector and not an investor but that ball is a good piece of property which will only go up in value.
Some day you may need a nice down payment on a new house or something and the ball might come in handy.
In the interim - IMO - keeping it out of direct light but showing it off from time to time is not gonna hurt it at all.
Again, thanx for sharing the nicest ball I've seen here!
mike
Don't donate it to Cooperstown- they'll put it in the basement. Remember the last scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark?
Amazing piece, and if you're not selling why bother having someone tell y ou something you already know? Keep it out of the direct sunlight, take good care of it, and never let it go- it's an incredible example of an iconic item.
Congrats!
Always looking for Topps Salesman Samples, pre '51 unopened packs, E90-2, E91a, N690 Kalamazoo Bats, and T204 Square Frame Ramly's
Hope to get a chance to see more of those autos!
Thanks for sharing
Kevin
Just awesome.........
Dave D.
My wife pretty much said the same thing you said about Cooperstown not needing any display material .
Her exact words were " Do you really think they don't have any baseballs like that ?"
I asked her well how many could there possibly be that are still in this kind of condition .
Not that it is in the best condition of any I have ever seen , but it is definitely up there with some of the prettiest and very neatly inscribed ones .
Yankee fan , just as soon as I get that camera I'll take pics of the rest of the autos .
I'm glad I have something to share today that gets us thinking about baseball and the way it was when these monster players were taking the fields so many years ago .
It sometimes makes me wish I was able to have been there, maybe over the dugout being so close to greatness .
<< <i>Wow ! you all have made me feel very proud , thank you all very much .
Matter of fact I was thinking about donating it to Cooperstown and the wife and I had argued about it .
The one thing about the baseball I do not like is having to keep it hidden , this really is something that should be shared with real baseball fans all over and I know that Cooperstown would absolutely take the best care of it and I would never have to worry about the bank getting robbed or anything like that nonsense that goes through my mind about the "what if's "
Thanks Ted for a confirmation on something I was seriously thinking about doing . >>
Is there a way that you could just loan them the ball? First find out if they would display it. Otherwise I wouldn't do it. But I will be at Cooperstown in September and I would love to see that ball in person! Absolutely amazing!
Chris
My small collection
Want List:
'61 Topps Roy Campanella in PSA 5-7
Cardinal T206 cards
Adam Wainwright GU Jersey
A center piece of any collection
Groucho Marx
I typed that the wrong way , I did mean loan it , not donate, I used the wrong words .
I'm not one of those guys that has 10 of them around collecting dust . LOL
thanks for sharing, someday your children will sell it for big bucks...
julen
RIP GURU
He's funny though at his little young age of 8 yrs old , his cousin came over the other day and offered to buy his Nolan Ryan baseball from him . . . He says " I'm not selling anything , I'm buying, can't you see I'm a collector ? "
I just stood there laughing , I just never expected those words .
Going to see if I can borrow my nephew's camera a little bit later on , my sons camera takes digital pictures but they're very low quality .
All of the signatures are pretty much the same in the way they are able to be seen . . . very very dark and neat .
I like to think when they all held this ball in their hands, they said to themselves, what a beautiful baseball , I'm going to put my finest signature on this ball .
As I have said before though they said the Burke is a Clubhouse and they came to this conclusion because they said Burke {The 3rd base coach } had suffered a stroke and wouldn't have been able to sign , but I think he had the stroke in late 33 if I remember correctly, I remember reading that somewhere ??
I asked her well how many could there possibly be that are still in this kind of condition . >>>
Your wife is correct. Considering Cooperstown opened in 1939, they probably have buckets full of autographed baseballs such as that - and in condition as good if not better.
Ruth and other Yankees were prolific signers. Ruth autographs are not really rare - just very desirable which makes them valuable, especially in nice condition on a baseball such as yours.
Donating it isn't a bad idea - perhaps there's some other baseball museum somewhere which would appreciate it more than Cooperstown?
The only concern I would have keeping it at the house would be a fire, tornado or some other disaster.
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No-one knows what the future will hold .
All of your opinions are extremely valued and thank you for letting me share .
When I look at some of your collections it absolutlely blows me away and it is a lot of fun to sit here with my son and look at what you all have collected and how long it has taken to finally have finished some of those sets .
For him and I as far as cards go we love the shiney stuff
I have 3 things I love to do # 1 is collecting # 2 is ham radios and # 3 is just banging away on my drums , But collecting is the most challenging and dare I say the most fun.
Hope you can just find a good bank vault for it; keep it in that cube, then place that in a box that seals out the light - heck, velvet line the box! Also, don't neglect insurance. That's a common mistake with safety boxes - the bank's insurance for the contents won't actually be much. You'll need to insure it on your own - collectinsure.com is very reputable for items like this, and not too expensive.
Not to worry that when it's in a safe place, it "can't be appreciated" - the pics will help with that.
I'm confident everyone here has been pleased to have a look at your special ball along with the great story behind it - I for one can't imagine a group of sigs being any better overall. Have to agree with you, everyone who signed really took their time on this one!
And that's the last one .
I sure thought a lot more people would have posted some pics of their vintage baseballs with opinion on grade here .
I'm actually very surprised there aren't any .
We see people asking about their cards all the time and I know there have to be plenty of beautiful vintage goodies out there .
It's really a special one. Thanks again for sharing. Your '58 team ball is no slouch either - the lightness of the sigs probably has more to do with the ink that happened to be used, than anything else.
What was funny was they authenticated that ball a whole lot faster than the 32 .
does the ball have a shellac coating on it? if so not sure how that affects the grade of the ball. on the auto's i'd say most look 8 and some 9 grade to me.
When I was getting it authenticated I was very excited , we had originally sent pics of the ball to JSA as a pre view of both of them , they couldn't tell much from the 58 , but when they saw the pics of the 32 , they said it was a forgery .
So, a few weeks later when they had an appearence at one of our local memorabilia shops , they authenticated the 58 and then I showed him the other 32 , which they thought was a forgery , mind you I was all bummed out for like 2 weeks , thinking it was a forgery , so I showed it to him and he was like HOLD ON !
This is the ball you sent the pics of , well this deserves a second look !, Right then I almost had a heart attack , just like the first time I saw the ball and evey time I pick it up . But said he had to have a few more people have a look at it .
So I had never even thought of grading it at that time and it completely slipped my mind as I waited for an answer .
But in trying to find a similar baseball as mine , i saw a few but the grades were all horrible and the baseballs were all very very brown , so I was curious what mine would rank.
I had figured about the same , there are only like 1 or 2 very light signatures on the ball , the rest I would give 8-9 . . .although the Combs and Cook could get a 10 , they are super dark , the ball I would give an 8 it does have some very slight scratches on it and as far as I know there is nothing coating the ball, although it does shine a little in the light .
I think 65 thousand is a lot of money for this baseball, but I still would never sell it . . . .
65 grand I could get back in a year , I'll never have another piece of baseball memorabila like this unless I get really lucky and that is what we do .