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Is this Babe Ruth authentic?

I got this item since 2007, is this authentic?

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Permalink Reply by wascher on January 13, 2014 at 4:38pm

Yeah, not bad at all, bummer for the first guy :)

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Permalink Reply by Darin Harvey on January 13, 2014 at 3:44pm

Sorry AM, it looked so perfect, I was so sure it was fake. My apologies

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Permalink Reply by A.M on January 13, 2014 at 6:16pm

No problem, :D

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Permalink Reply by Steve Zarelli on January 13, 2014 at 4:14pm

Interesting how the one with the square corners is the only one without the union shop indicia.

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Permalink Reply by Randy on January 13, 2014 at 5:15pm

How do you know the last name is Figueroa and not Figuirda?

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Permalink Reply by Randy on January 13, 2014 at 5:34pm

It makes absolutely no sense to try and change the name on the card as you surmise. How does that do anything to the value?

The Ruth autograph is the only thing that gives the piece value.

It is pretty obvious to me that the name on the other one you posted was filled out in the same hand. Look at the "F"'s and other letters. They had someone fill out the names on the cards and then the instructors for the day signed them for the participants.

Perhaps the person filling out the name on the card misspelled the name if indeed Figueroa was the correct last name.

That makes sense to me. I don't need to think outside the box when I see a period medium with a perfect Ruth autograph.

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Permalink Reply by Randy on January 13, 2014 at 7:23pm

I know about Halper's collection. I bought a couple of his lesser Ruth autographs and they were authentic.

I know all about the 500 home run sheet with the horrible Ruth forgery and likely Foxx forgery. He told Robert Creamer in an interview that his father got the Ruth autograph on the sheet and that he got all the rest in person. He later told a different story and said he met Ruth in '48 shortly before his death and got the autograph in person and then added the others. He also said he got Foxx while playing baseball at the University of Miami but Foxx left the year before Halper enrolled. No question he lied about the "Ruth" and "Foxx" autographs and duped Mike Guiterrez into authenticating them.

I know all about the doctored uniforms/jersies/gloves attributed to Mantle/Jackson/ etc. and sold to the HOF/Billy Crystal/ and others.

However, the vast majority of his Ruth autographs were authentic. Certainly, some were probably not authentic as there were no true authenticators when he collected the majority of his items but I have the catalog from the original sale and there are few I would dispute from the pictures.

Mike Guiterrez was probably the best authenticator at the time of the sale in '99 and although he accepted Hapler's story on the 500 home run sheet, I believe he evaluated the other autographs using known authentic exemplars.

Obviously, the 500 home run example was the only one Halper claimed to have gotten in person so he may have been duped on it but the others stood on their own merit.

I have absolutely no problem with this Ruth autograph as I look at the autograph and don't worry about whether the participant's name was spelled wrong.

There is no question in my mind that the other one you pictured was filled out by the same person. Either both of them are questionable or both are authentic.

Just my opinion. You are certainly entitled to a different one.