What exactly do I have here?

Volksbeetle28

I have what I believe is a baseball signed by the 2014 Yankees team. I counted 27 signatures on the ball. My question is, was anything like this mass produced? It seems to me like it's the real deal and I am thinking about getting it graded but I just wanted to see if anyone could spot anything right that would make it not authentic. I just basically want to know if this is something worth sending off to be graded.[/URL][/IMG]

[URL=http://s1136.photobucket.com/user/volksbeetle28/media/Mobile Uploads/image_5.jpg.html][/URL]

[URL=http://s1136.photobucket.com/user/volksbeetle28/media/Mobile Uploads/image_4.jpg.html][/URL]

[URL=http://s1136.photobucket.com/user/volksbeetle28/media/Mobile Uploads/image_3.jpg.html][/URL]

[URL=http://s1136.photobucket.com/user/volksbeetle28/media/Mobile Uploads/image_2.jpg.html][/URL]

Ironmanfan

It's a stamped/facsimile "signature" ball with little to no secondary market value unfortunately.

IMF

timpatg

At most it's worth about $8 on the bay before fees and shipping expense. Writing across the stitches is usually the easy giveaway that it's stamped.

charrigan

Yes, stamps.

Dboneesq

<< <i>It's a stamped/facsimile "signature" ball with little to no secondary market value unfortunately. IMF >>



Agreed. Two things that are usually a sign of a "stamped" ball. None of the signatures overlap and all the signatures are in the same color ink.

totallyradd

The other easy giveaway is that unless you start with a big name, managers always sign the sweet spot. Even in the case that a big name does get the sweet spot, it would be centered leaving no room for a second sig.

Just to help for the future, clean those hands before handling baseballs! If that was a real ball, I'd be cringing. All the oils from your hand can yellow the ball quick, and though you were holding the ball on the seams, there's a lot of dirt on those fingers.

charrigan

Other things to look for when identifying stamped autos:

-- no crossovers - you don't see places where ink crosses over other ink, leaving a darker spot (because it is all evenly applied once)

-- no clear starts/stops. On live ink, you should see a slightly darker "dot" at the beginning where the pen touches the card

-- variable color from pressure changes when writing


Also, hard to describe, but you can tell by how the ink looks here. The stamps weren't applied well, leaving lots of signatures looking "spotty" in a way that live ink wouldn't.

Dpeck100

<< <i>The other easy giveaway is that unless you start with a big name, managers always sign the sweet spot. Even in the case that a big name does get the sweet spot, it would be centered leaving no room for a second sig.

Just to help for the future, clean those hands before handling baseballs! If that was a real ball, I'd be cringing. All the oils from your hand can yellow the ball quick, and though you were holding the ball on the seams, there's a lot of dirt on those fingers. >>





I was thinking the same thing. It looks like he spent all day working on a car engine. I know people use to to bust on BBG for wearing the blue gloves but it was actually smart. I have had what appear to be very clean hands and still get a little oil on a card surface. Fortunately you can gently clean it off most of the time.