Do you collect autographed baseballs? Need some suggestions

Grimster

Seeing as how the vintage card market is on fire at the moment and pricing me out of several that I've had my eye on (and just never pulled the trigger)...I feel like now is a good time to grab a couple nice autographed baseballs.

Currently I have a two balls, one Nolan Ryan and one Mickey Mantle. Im looking for some suggestions on what I should grab next. I'd like to keep it under $500 per ball. Of course if I could get a couple nice ones for around $50-$100 that'd be good too.

Not sure who I who get. I grew up watching the astros (hence the Ryan) and I've always liked Mantle. I really just want to grab 2 or 3 more. I don't need it to explode like my card collection has the past several years lol. Maybe a nice Bagwell or Biggio? Go oldschool and grab a Dimaggio? Whatever I get I'll be buying it already PSA/DNA authenticated.

Do you collect autographed baseballs? Who do you have? In-person or buy it elsewhere?

travis t

I got one from Ebay that was advertised as a Baltimore Orioles team signed ball from the 80s and featured Cal Ripken Jr.



Through a little research and simple deduction I discovered that it was an Orioles team signed ball from 1988, the year they started the season with 21 consecutive defeats.



It's one of my favorites. It was definitely motivated by a desire to own a Ripken ball. A ball signed by him would make a nice addition and an authentic one shouldn't set you back too much.

MooseDog

You can get a Ryan signed ball directly from the Nolan Ryan Foundation (or send your own). Costs around $50 and you are getting direct from the source.

Stone193

I've got around 15-20 balls.



Was never a focus - just came into my hands one way or another.



Really know little about that market and have no opinion other than to collect those one likes.



When Brett hit his 3000th hit - a few of these came into the market - a GU ball signed by Brett; reason ball is so dirty is due to the extra "rub" the ump gave the balls he prepared IMO.







And a friend of mine was in Vegas - Pete was signing and he got me a ball - was very thoughtful and generous.







I got Ryan and Mantle when they were really cheap - in the late 80s/early 90s both guys along with many others - were under contract with the Scoreboard - and they distributed balls to companies like Penny's who had them in their Christmas catalog - the Mantle @ 39 and the Ryan @ 49 bucks or something like that.



I don't have scans of these balls.



I do have a multi-signed ball with Kiki Cuyler - probably one of the more obscure players I have.

yankeesman

I have a ton of autographed baseballs, probably half of which I have gotten in person and the other half off ebay or other ways. I did the 500 home run club and have autographed baseballs of all but Foxx, Ott and Ruth (Foxx and Ott I have or autos of but not on baseballs). A few I think of are Ted Williams, Sandy Koufax and modern maybe Trout and Bryce Harper. Make sure to post who you end up picking up!

bigdogparty

A Pete Rose ball is always a nice addition to a ball collection. I have less than 20 signed balls, most of which are Cardinals but Pete was one I couldn't resist. Got him in person in Cooperstown a couple years ago but plenty for sale on Ebay too. Another great sig is Stan Musial. Great looking autograph and one of the GOAT. He signed so much in his lifetime that even though he has been gone for a couple years, his autograph is still very cheap

travis t

You could also latch onto a piece of collecting folklore:



Q: What's more rare than a ball signed by Bob Feller?



A: A ball NOT signed by Bob Feller.

ClockworkAngel

I started out with a couple as well and being the OCD I am it turned into about 125 different balls when I decided to focus on that part of my collection.

Some thoughts:
-Try to focus on keeping the balls consistent in the way they are signed. I have stayed focused on sweet spot, single-signed autographs with no inscription and I think they present pretty cool on display.
-I stay focused on HOF's or future HOF's, with a couple exceptions (Rose, Clemens, Bonds,etc)
-If you want to pick these up online, make sure you get certifications. PSA and JSA are the 2 I have focused on.

$500 can get you a lot of bang for your buck. I believe you can still get a Ted Williams or Joe DiMaggio ball for less than that. Or start growing your collection with a bunch of $50-100 balls from contemporary players like Gwynn, Ripken, Brett, Reggie, Schmidt, Griffey, etc.

Have fun! I must say that this part of my collection has been a lot of fun to grow and I'm really pleased with how they display

Ironmanfan

avoid Coaches Corner Auction site



IMF

jay0791

I have about 50 BB HOF'ers inc 500 HR, mick, Ted, Joe D

Look for "clean baseballs" with no smudges...unless Game used.

Blue pen only...no sharpie, marker........

I like sweet spot only.

Inscription are nice IMHO....hof 1997 # 44 Mr October

If buying online and esp if higher $...look for PSA or JSA. Any other COA can be just written or forged.

Look for a few guys getting on in years....whitey ford..

Grimster

Ok. So I've made a few purchases. Here are my 5 balls I have so far. Ryan is from the early 90s and was a Christmas present....so no 3rd party authentication. I think it was from the JCPenney's catalog. It is getting a little faded so I might replace it with either a PSA/DNA one or just order one straight from his foundation ($80 I think). The rest of them are PSA/DNA authenticated. I have a feeling my collection will grow every time there is an ebay bucks special going on. haha. Sorry for the poor pictures. After I figure out how I want to display them I will take some proper photos.

yankeesman

Wow! Nice pick ups! The Mays in ballpoint pen is a toughie as for quite a while now he won't sign in anything but a sharpie on balls. Amazing group there.

swish54

If you go towards HOF/star balls, I'd start with guys who are deceased or getting up there in years. Wait on the guys who just retired or are fairly young, they'll be doing the show circuit for years and more will come into the market. If you have large shows that are in your area, that's a great way to get them signed in-person and actually meeting the player. Adds a special link to the autograph, not just something you bought online and may or may not be real. Many HOF'ers who do the show circuit can be had for around $100, with the exception of a few Mays, Aaron, Koufax (doesn't travel), Yaz (doesn't travel).