Last month, I asked autograph collectors to consider some of the more obscure items that we request to have signed.  That got me thinking about baseballs.  It is becoming more common for autograph collectors to ask someone who is not a professional baseball player to autograph a baseball.  I have no idea why, but I am guilty of making more than one such purchase myself.

The first time that I noticed this practice was on a Bruce Springsteen autographed baseball.  I thought that it was odd for Bruce Springsteen to autograph a baseball, since he was not a professional baseball player.  I imagined that it was requested by a fan who wanted to pay tribute to his “Glory Days” music video.

Two years ago, I purchased an Al Pacino autographed baseball.  Why?  I have no idea.  I cannot think of any connection between Al Pacino and the sport of baseball.

My Al Pacino autographed baseball.  I have no idea why I purchased it, but I am glad that I did.

The Rock Hall will hold the 36th annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on October 30th at Rocket Mortgage FeelHouse.  Among the inductees this year will be Todd Rundgren.  That got me thinking about how interesting it would be to have Todd Rundgren autograph a baseball, and add a HOF 2021 inscription to it.

Autographed baseballs have always made wonderful collectibles.  To expand an autographed baseball collection beyond professional baseball players is one of the things that makes our hobby so much fun.