Ted Williams?

Long time lurker, first time inquiry. I was hoping to get thoughts on this Ted Williams autograph. And what should I be looking for in a legit Williams autograph? I always hear that open "e"s and "a"s are a dead giveaway. I was curious if there are any other tell-tale signs of a fake?

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Permalink Reply by Doug James on Sunday

I always thought the “D” in Ted and the “W” in Williams were connected with a loop, I’m not a Teddy Ballgame expert. I’m going to GUESS at atypical and see what those more experienced think. My vote is no good.

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Permalink Reply by Murphy on Sunday

Thanks. This is a ball for sale locally...without authentication. I'm also having concerns about a ball that has been in my collection over 30 years. Any thoughts?

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Permalink Reply by Doug James on Sunday

I’m more a music guy (and Mickey Mantle). I’ll defer to those who know best. There’s some sharp ones here that will be more definitive on Ted than I. I don’t want to misguide you. My initial thoughts are no to both but hopefully I’m proven wrong.

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Permalink Reply by Murphy on Sunday

Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by AustinCollector on Sunday

Photo #1 is genuine. The second photo in this thread is a known forgery style.

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Permalink Reply by Murphy on Sunday

Thanks! So its worth a flyer for $150 for ball number one and I should trash ball #2 :)

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Permalink Reply by AustinCollector on Sunday

$150 is a very fair price for a Williams ball in that condition

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Permalink Reply by terrier8HOF on Sunday

that one is authentic (in the OP). the other one is fake

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Permalink Reply by Murphy on Sunday

Thanks. Another vote for the first ball being authentic. Perhaps I'll role the dice and buy it after all. What is off with the second ball that makes you believe its fake?

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Permalink Reply by Doug James on Sunday

Precisely why I wanted others to chime in. I was half right, lol. By the way, the two who chimed in are the two you’d want opinions from. Steve and a few others are great on sports as well.

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Permalink Reply by AustinCollector on Sunday

I might have mentioned this in another thread, but one major red flag on any Williams ball is an open, unconnected "a." While there are authentic examples with this feature, the vast majority of genuine signatures have closed "a"s. Of course, no single characteristic can definitively confirm or disprove authenticity—you always need to evaluate the signature as a whole. Murphy, the photo in your post shows a textbook Williams signature. A very good example.