Aaron/Mays Ball - Opinions Needed

I've attached a couple of photos of a dual signed Hank Aaron/Willie Mays ball. It is a Bill White NL ball.

My concerns are the sizing of the signatures. Both are signed with different pressure and the Aaron looks rushed. Please let me know what you think. Thanks.

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Permalink Reply by Ian Baldock on March 15, 2014 at 9:16am

Not what Im used to unless they are their newer "old age " type autos esp Aaron. Not the most attractive ball.

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Permalink Reply by terrier8HOF on March 15, 2014 at 6:58pm

both are forgeries in my opinion. I dont believe these are rushed as if you look closely at them, they are slowly written and shaky.

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Permalink Reply by Tyler Johnson on March 15, 2014 at 9:09pm

The Hank and Aaron dont look right.

Mays maybe. It looks close to the one I have but I have a couple of Hanks in that same sig style and not right. The spacing in Hank is off.

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Permalink Reply by John H on March 16, 2014 at 7:00am

Thanks to everyone for the feedback. What I didn't share initially was that this ball was purchased from QVC in the late 80s with a Score Board COA.

What I found most interesting is when I pulled this out after a number of years was that it right away gave me the impression that both were signed with the same hand. And it also looks like the pen moved across the ball the same way for both signatures.

There has been much debate in the hobby over Score Board certs, early versus later, etc. I believe this serves as a good example of why you should stay away from all of their certs. They may have had some good ones, but they were also pumping out bad as well.

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Permalink Reply by CJCollector on March 16, 2014 at 7:31am

John, it's not about "staying away from Scoreboard certs." It's about knowing autographs.

When I see an autograph I want to purchase, I look at the autograph, not the COA/Cert.

As a matter of fact, the majority of autographs I purchase, don't come with a COA/Cert, and that's why I am able to purchase certain autographs at a great price.

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Permalink Reply by John H on March 16, 2014 at 7:43am

That is a good point Chris. I too have become more focused on the signature rather than the cert. The point I was trying to make was that people in the hobby do focus on the cert, and those certs are worth a close look at the signature before you buy. My understanding is that they did have some legit contracts with athletes to sign for them at one point, so there are probably some good ones out there. But my ball isn't one of them.

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Permalink Reply by CJCollector on March 16, 2014 at 7:57am

Scoreboard, back in the day, had everyone under contract.

Unfortunately, the Scoreboard COA has been used (edited, modified, etc.) by thousands of dirtbags to sell forgeries.

Back in the 1990's, the Home Shopping channels sold approximately $750,000 in forgeries to consumers.

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Permalink Reply by terrier8HOF on March 16, 2014 at 10:23am

Christopher, well stated. it is worth the time to study the autograph and buy it based on its own merit. I also, do not buy autos with COA's unless it happens to come with one.

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Permalink Reply by Mike P on March 16, 2014 at 9:18am

I have several Scoreboard certified baseballs with 100% authentic signatures. You just have to learn the signature traits and you'll be able to discern a forgery from a real signature- you can find great deals for lower prices by knowing what to look for.