Best Balls Under 60.00?

[TyrusRCobb]

-As a few of you are already aware, (My terrible fake Williams purchase) I'm very wet behind the ears. As such, I think it wise to start with some good balls on the really low end of the price range. So, with that being said which balls under 60.00 do you recommend. Don't worry Jim, I'll be following your advice going slowly and doing through research! Thanks for the advice in advance.

[Scott Garner]

I would vote for pitchers Nolan Ryan, Steve Carlton and Bob Feller and definately Warren Spahn. All four were terrific pitchers, have nice signatures, and there signed balls can be had for $60 or less if you're patient.

Of the modern position players I like Tony Gwynn, Wade Boggs, Robin Yount, Pete Rose (even though he is one of the most prolific signers, I still love his autograph).

At $60 or less, there are lots to choose from, IMHO.

[39special]

In the past 6 months I picked up balls signed by Killebrew,Carlton,R.Fingers,
Kaline,and Goosage for under $60.Ive been collecting autos for about a year
and have learned alot from the people on here!!

[mr2686]

Beyond "who" to get, you may also look at "where" to get them. May I suggest a couple of places for someone that is just starting out. First off, it might be a good idea to join an autograph site like Sportscollectors.net or others where you can not only get addresses where to request autographs from players, but they will also tell you where a lot of Private Signings are which are usually at a good price. Also, people like Chris Potter Sports and MAB-Celebrity have shows/signings all the time and the prices are pretty good and they're very reliable. Last, but certainly not least, get on the mailing lists for Jim Stinson and Richard Simon as they have stuff all the time.
For baseballs, do a little homework by checking when the player went in to the hall, and when he died. If he went in prior to or during the 70's and 80's, and then lived quite awhile longer, he probably signed at a ton of shows. These are the guys that will probably be the cheapest.
You may also want to stay away from players that just recently died (unless the price is real good) because the price will probably be jacked up a bit but usually comes down after a few months.
Good luck.

[TyrusRCobb]

Great advice. In the year or so that I've been collecting I've gotten all of my balls for under 60.00. They are: Dale Murphy, Rose, Brooks Robinson, Berra, Feller and Killebrew. I paid exactly 60.00 for Mays. I'm looking forward to getting on the mailing lists.

[Scott Garner]

Beyond "who" to get, you may also look at "where" to get them. May I suggest a couple of places for someone that is just starting out. First off, it might be a good idea to join an autograph site like Sportscollectors.net or others where you can not only get addresses where to request autographs from players, but they will also tell you where a lot of Private Signings are which are usually at a good price. Also, people like Chris Potter Sports and MAB-Celebrity have shows/signings all the time and the prices are pretty good and they're very reliable. Last, but certainly not least, get on the mailing lists for Jim Stinson and Richard Simon as they have stuff all the time.
For baseballs, do a little homework by checking when the player went in to the hall, and when he died. If he went in prior to or during the 70's and 80's, and then lived quite awhile longer, he probably signed at a ton of shows. These are the guys that will probably be the cheapest.
You may also want to stay away from players that just recently died (unless the price is real good) because the price will probably be jacked up a bit but usually comes down after a few months.
Good luck.

Great advice Mike! ;)

[Clark7781]

I am a member of Sportgraphing.com and like the site and its resources.

You may want to try TTM autographs. (Through The Mail). Many retired ball players will sign your item TTM for a small donation. Some have larger donation requests. I know you can get Whitey Ford for a $50.00 donation. His address is on sportsgraphing.com. You mail it to him, and he sends it back. There are many, many others who will also do this.

I have done this many times and expanded my collection without paying a middleman.

[Wymers Auction]

I like Johnny Bench in that price range.