Signed baseball advise: Stan Musial, plus

[Ericc22]

Greetings,

I am developing an interest in signed baseballs, to cause damage beyond my interest in T206s. Ugh!! : )

I have a couple balls and am particularly interested in HOFers and balls that have team logos on them. I saw this on ebay and I like it as it has the Cardinal logo on it:

http://cgi.ebay.com/STAN-MUSIAL-HOF-COA-STAN-MUSIAL-SIGNED-LOGO-BASEBALL-/250664166268?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a5cbfa37c

Thoughts? Does this represent a good value? I know it is not (yet) PSA certified but I am placing some trust in the seller based on his guarantee.

And beyond this, can anyone offer suggestions on buying an autographed ball? I am starting through-the-mail (TTM) and have read a bunch about this. But any advise for buying? I know to look for a good ball (ideally MLB), signed in ball point on the sweet spot, check to make sure ball is clean, etc. Any other best practices?

All guidance for this newbie is most appreciated!

Eric

[gashouse34]

I'll let the pro's chime in but something doesn't look right to me....I'd at least ask for a closer picture of the signature and to see what quality of baseball that is. If it's a cheap baseball (made in china, etc..) then the autograph will undoubtedly fade. Not saying this seller is selling fake stuff but if he has nothing to hide he would oblige sending a close up picture to you via email.

BTW, best wishes on starting up TTM. There are many great sites out there that can help you get a good collection going. It can be very rewarding especially with the retired guys.

Regards, Brandon

[drc]

A Stan the Man Inc LOA is better than PSA/DNA for a Musial autograph. That's Musial's own company and the LOAs are also signed by Musial.

[perezfan]

A couple of basic rules of thumb (which you may already know...)

* Avoid vinyl balls (at all costs) and cheap quality leather baseballs.

* Avoid Baseballs autographed in sharpie. A basic Bic ballpoint with blue ink is usually the best choice

* Avoid any offerings from Coach's Corner.

* Avoid any items authenticated by STAT, Ted Taylor, and Chris Morales

* Stick with Official MLB Baseballs for best resale.

But more importantly, collect what you like! That Cardinals Logo Ball is cool. (I like Logo Balls and Portrait Balls, too)

Happy collecting!

[Ericc22]

Thanks everyone!!

This ball is a vinyl ball. So, based on the feedback from you guys, I assume I should pass? I am only interested if the ball is something that will last.

Gashousegang, et al - what are your favorite TTM sites? I have the addresses from Havey but would welcome any recommendation.

Can anyone recommend a good source for buying baseballs? And in particular, a good source for buying baseballs of high quality that have team logos on them?

Thank you for all your help!

Eric

[novakjr]

I think perezfan gave a pretty good rundown of the basics. I personally kinda like the looks of the logo balls, but I believe they are all vinyl. I think out of all my signed balls, I have 1 logo ball, and that's Rick Manning(keep in mind I collect all-time Indians as well as HOFers). The signature has surprisingly held up really well, but I wouldn't take that chance on a bigger name. Everything else is on a MLB, AL, NL or minor league ball, except my Jim Rice that is on an old '70s Leather Dixie ball. If you don't stick with MLB balls, real leather is still the way to go, especially if you're gonna try to get some TTM. There are some decent cheaper leather balls out there, you'd have to check some other forums for more info on which ones are best. Stay away from anything synthetic. Again, for "Big Name Players", your best bet is MLB balls as far as holding value.