Won in the Ninth: analysis of signed presentation copies

[baseballart]

An interesting article from Peter Nash of http://www.haulsofshame.com on the Mathewson Won in Ninth bookplate signatures of a limited edition of 500

http://haulsofshame.com/blog/?p=9557#.Tr00Jn-Fbtk.twitter

(I'm still looking to find out if this book ever came with a dust jacket --it should have, given when it was published--but I imagine more here care about whether the signatures are genuine)

[D. Bergin]

I'm not an expert, but is it possible he just tightened up his signature to fit on the space given in the bookplate?

Would a ghost signer in 1910, still keep so many of the same aspects that seem to be present in all the other exemplars they claim as good?

[Tigerden]

I'm not an expert, but is it possible he just tightened up his signature to fit on the space given in the bookplate?

Would a ghost signer in 1910, still keep so many of the same aspects that seem to be present in all the other exemplars they claim as good?

Dave- I thought the same thing. A ghost signer or secretarial signature is usually pretty easy to spot, exhibiting many different characteristics such as slant and pen pressure (Babe Ruth's Sinclair Oil ball for example). Maybe he took his time and took a different approach to signing the bookplates than he would have signed a letter or autograph for a fan at the ballpark.

[RichardSimon]

An interesting article from Peter Nash of http://www.haulsofshame.com on the Mathewson Won in Ninth bookplate signatures of a limited edition of 500

http://haulsofshame.com/blog/?p=9557#.Tr00Jn-Fbtk.twitter

(I'm still looking to find out if this book ever came with a dust jacket --it should have, given when it was published--but I imagine more here care about whether the signatures are genuine)

I have always looked with quizzical autograph interest at these books when they have been offered but to the best of my memory I never saw one with a dust jacket.

[travrosty]

if you look at a sonny liston signature, sonny started off the L in liston in practically the same spot every time, slightly up and to the right of the y in Sonny, it is a way to spot a feature of a good liston.

Most of the presentational mathewsons have the M starting off in a way that it points back to the y in christy in almost the same spot from signature to signature. the beginning of the M points to the y.

in the established exemplars, they don't do that, they overshoot the y by a long margin, they point to the t in christy or even overshoot the t,

i dont see the consistency in the start of the M in mathewson pointing to the t in Christy and even overshooting it as in the established exemplars when I look at the presentational copies, almost all which point to the y in Christy, and even the few that slightly overshoot the y, don't reach the t.

Some of them even fall short of the y, something the established exemplar don't show in the ones I have seen. I don't even see one pointing to the y let alone falling short.

In all the examples of established exemplar he shows in haulsofshame.com I just don't see one that points to the y or falls short like I see in the presentational copies. And I don't see a presentational copy that points to the t in christy or overshoots it like i do in the established exemplars, and you think you would see some because in 1908 he has a very high long start to the M, and in 1912 he does also. These 1910 presentation copies he all of the sudden changes all of them up to start lower and tighter, very consistanly for these books, then abandons that practice and goes back to the high long start again as we see in many 1912 autographs?

[RichardSimon]

There is a post on HOS that states the book sold for $7500.
I believe that is considerably less than prior sales, correct me if I am wrong.
Perhaps the hobby is giving more weight to Ron Keurajian's opinions than to the opinions of the alphabet soup authenticators.
Perhaps that is a good thing.

[travrosty]

maybe we will see more trying to be sold sooner rather than later, if people start thinking they have the possibility of not being good, we might have a rush to sell before they are worth considerably less or nothing. it will be the public's determination if they are good or not taking into consideration all peoples or organizations opinion like ron k. on one hand, (I prefer an individual persons opionon rather than a blanket statement under a label or banner of a company that takes no responsibility for the opinion) and also the companies that have certed them, (they don't explain their opinion), and then deciding.

[GrayGhost]

I love reading bout autographs, trying to figure out forgeries, etc, but honestly, this is almost a can't win situation w some of these signatures..