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Babe Ruth Autograph

I purchased this ball at an estate sale. I have no idea if it is real or fake. I can't tell what the markings say. Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks!

Tags: Babe, Ruth, autograph, baseball

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Permalink Reply by Ian Baldock on January 21, 2014 at 2:13pm

Far as I can tell B might be off,cant tell where e trails off etc. Ball looks like somebody has been eating it. Hopefully Mr Farrel isnt stuck in the snow and will be able to comment on it.

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Permalink Reply by Ben Phillips on January 21, 2014 at 2:59pm

I agree it looks eaten. This was one of 10-12 balls I purchased in a lot. I think they were stored in a garage. Half were commemorative and the other half were autographed. I have two Cincinnati Reds balls from the same lot that I will post in a different thread. The other autographs were totally unreadable so I sold them in a garage sale. Thanks for the reply.

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Permalink Reply by Ben Phillips on January 21, 2014 at 4:36pm

http://live.autographmagazine.com/forum/topics/cincinnati-reds-team...

Here are two balls that were in the same box. Looks like everyone agrees they are stamped. The estate auction that I bought these from was huge. There were hundreds of old baseball cards. Many selling for $100-$300. Many of the known collectors in my area were there buying items. The reasons I bought the balls were because of the size of the collection and the original owner was an older gentleman who passed away. I thought maybe I got a lucky find.
I think one of the marks looks likes it says Wilson. I know they made baseballs back then but they were not the ones used in the games. e.g.Spalding or Rawlings. I can't tell what the mark on the sweet spot says. I think that would help verify the kind of ball.

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Permalink Reply by Randy on January 21, 2014 at 5:13pm

The autograph looks to be authentic. Granted, the autograph has been disturbed but there is enough there to form an opinion. Certainly, the Ruth is undisturbed and clearly looks authentic to me.

Certainly not a sure thing but I think it will pass JSA or PSA/DNA. Whether it is worth $200 or so for the opinion is another question. If authentic, even in this condition it has significant value above the cost of the authentication. Of course, if found not authentic you will have wasted $200 and have a worthless ball.

You could list it on Ebay and get a PSA/DNA "Quick Opinion"for $10. I think they will render an opinion even with the problems.

Are there any other visible autographs on the ball?

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Permalink Reply by Ben Phillips on January 21, 2014 at 5:25pm

I wasn't aware of the quick opinion option. Thanks.

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Permalink Reply by Randy on January 21, 2014 at 5:36pm

Any interest in selling the ball outright?

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Permalink Reply by Ben Phillips on January 21, 2014 at 5:52pm

I need to do some more research before I decide to put it up for sale. If it is real, I will definitely have to think hard about selling.

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Permalink Reply by Randy on January 21, 2014 at 5:59pm

Understood.

Keep in mind that due to condition this Ruth although worth more than the $200 authentication fee is not going to be a home run but it may be a single or at least a walk.

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Permalink Reply by Ben Phillips on January 21, 2014 at 6:06pm

Thanks, I'm probably going to put it on eBay just to get a quick opinion. If that goes well I might think about sending it to be examined. To get a quick opinion, do people just list the item for a high price and then cancel the auction after the results are in?

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Permalink Reply by Randy on January 21, 2014 at 6:15pm

The best thing to do is list it with a high buy it now for 3 days duration and then pay for the PSA/DNA "Quick Opinion."

If found "Likely not Genuine", Ebay will probably remove it and send you a warning telling you not to list it again.

If it is "Likely Genuine", I would let it run out at the high buy it now. You will probably get some offers for it outside of Ebay but you can just ignore them unless you get a ridiculous offer.