Autographed Baseball Question

I just bought a collection from someone, and it included autographed baseballs (Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams, Reggie Jackson, Harmon Killibrew, Willie McCovey, Ernie Banks, Eddie Matthews, Mike Schmidt, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and a few others). All of them signed beautifully on the sweet spots.

What is my best way to sell them? Individually, as a group lot? And, since only a few of certs of authenticity, is that something I should do before trying to sell (although the photos to the buyers would probably be enough to make them realize they're authentic, but still).

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Tags: Ernie Banks, Hank Aaron, Mike Schmidt, Reggie Jackson, Ted Williams, Willie Mays, autographed baseballs

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Permalink Reply by AustinCollector on September 21, 2023 at 3:45am

Individual is almost better in terms of net sales, but takes more work. If you're able to post or send photos, I can gut check them for authenticity. I specialize in Mantle, Williams and Dimaggio, but have an Ok eye for the others.

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Permalink Reply by Josh Board NEW & Improved on September 21, 2023 at 4:35am

Thank you for the offer of looking at them, but authenticity is the least of my worries. This is a 90 year old guy, that got all these in person at sports shows, paying to meet them. And I've seen all these guys signatures a million times (aside from Willie McCovey and Ernie Banks), and they all look exactly like the signatures I've seen (I know that can mean little, as forgers also know what the signatures look like).

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Permalink Reply by terrier8HOF on September 21, 2023 at 3:36pm

great question Josh. Normally I would say individual would bring in more however, since the ones you listed are all members of the 500 home run club, you could put together a nice display and sell it as a lot to someone that doesnt want to go thru the aggravation of buying each separately and is willing to pay a fair price for the lot. The key is coming up with a price for each one, and a lot price that would cover the cost of these and also any display materials. Just a thought.

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Permalink Reply by Josh Board NEW & Improved on September 21, 2023 at 8:52pm

I'm considering keeping them, too. It's weird, as a kid, sports autographs were my favorite. As an adult, I only car about music and movie 'graphs now. But baseballs just look so damn nice when they're signed on the sweet spot.