Joe Medwick signed ball from 1944?

[JSK23]

Hey guys, have interesting find here which imagine is probably fake, but I figured I'd run it by you guys before I do anything with it.

We found this ball in abandoned house that was being renovated, incidentally, the same house we found two Bond Bread Jackie Robinson cards.

Ive compared it to other Medwick signatures and it definitely doesn't look the same. Though it does have the same "M" as his. Between the two pictures you can see all the text on the ball.

I have no reason to suspect its fake, other than the signature being a bit different, but its almost as if he just wrote his name instead of signing it. But I have no evidence that its legit either as I can't document where it came from.

Thoughts? Help?

http://i.imgur.com/3YlY7bN.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/elypeGT.jpg

[yanks12025]

Probably was a foul ball and the fan wrote it.

[Scott Garner]

Probably was a foul ball and the fan wrote it.

Absolutely! That's the way I see it as well.
Great collectible for a Joe Medwick fan, BTW...

[Runscott]

I have passed on a few items like that over the years. About 10 years ago I was collecting Nap Rucker and Ed Reulbach items when a dream piece came up for auction: a ball used in a Nap Rucker no-hitter. I should have been thrilled, but then I started thinking of the possible history of that ball, and I avoided it.

I won't go into all the scenarios, as they have been discussed here over and over. If you feel strongly that it is legit, then I congratulate you on your acquisition.

[Scott Garner]

I have passed on a few items like that over the years. About 10 years ago I was collecting Nap Rucker and Ed Reulbach items when a dream piece came up for auction: a ball used in a Nap Rucker no-hitter. I should have been thrilled, but then I started thinking of the possible history of that ball, and I avoided it.

I won't go into all the scenarios, as they have been discussed here over and over. If you feel strongly that it is legit, then I congratulate you on your acquisition.

Scott,
I understand your sentiment, but a possible Joe Medwick foul ball is a far cry from a game used ball from Nap Ruckers no-hitter game in terms of importance and certainly value.

You know that I collect items related to no-hitters. Just curious, why the specific interest in Nap Rucker? Good choice, BTW...

[Runscott]

Scott,
I understand your sentiment, but a possible Joe Medwick foul ball is a far cry from a game used ball from Nap Ruckers no-hitter game in terms of importance and certainly value.

You know that I collect items related to no-hitters. Just curious, why the specific interest in Nap Rucker? Good choice, BTW...

True Scott, but my hesitation to purchase anything like this has nothing to do with malicious intent on the part of the seller. It's just that accidents occur as the years go by. Less chance of it if the writing is obviously the same age as the event, but there can still be confusion on the part of the original owner that leads to mistakes. For example, I was with a friend of mine at a game, and between us we caught 4-5 batting practice balls. I know who hit the one I caught (Darryl Porter), but we put them in a common area, and when my buddy gave me the ball, I wasn't absolutely sure he gave me the right one. Rucker's no-hitter ball could have gotten mixed up with some others, or he might have set it somewhere and it rolled off the table and ended up picked up by his wife and put in the wrong spot. Who knows?

I always had a sentimental side for players like Rucker and Reulbach who were viewed as 'great' by their contemporaries, but who were ignored by the more knowledgeable sportswriters and fans who succeeded them. Reulbach was basically run out of the majors because of the Federal League, so he missed the 10-year prerequisite to get in the HOF. Rucker pitched for some sorry-assed Dodgers teams and was the ace of the staff, thus he was matched up whenever possible against the best that the other teams had. Plus, he was from Alpharetta, Georgia, where I used to live. He was a great guy and hard not to like. I still collect his stuff, but I don't have too much.

[JSK23]

I don't even know what to do with this. I have no sentimental value for it. Does it have any kind of monetary value? My uncle told me to find out what I could about it and try to move it.

Do I just throw it up on ebay and see if it gets bid on? Is there any way the age can at least be verified or would that not be worth the hassle?

[mr2686]

Well, the date is correct for when and where those two teams played, and of course Medwick did play in that game (got one hit).

[thecatspajamas]

Can any of the original stampings on the ball be made out at all?

[JSK23]

I completely overlooked this earlier, but there is some sort of stamping on it. Best picture I could get of it: http://i.imgur.com/TXeuJ8x.jpg

Ive just linked the highest res of it, so you can have the best look possible. The stamp does look pretty close to this: http://keymancollectibles.com/balls/images/wpe13.jpg.
There is a mark under the "Jul" that looks like a bat/ground caused scuff.

[thecatspajamas]

Looks like a 1941-46 ONL Frick ball. Can't see anything of the presidential stamping to be able to narrow it further, but looks right for the date penned on it both in terms of date range and league.

(Thanks to Brandon for his ball guide making me look like an expert :p )

[Scott Garner]

I always had a sentimental side for players like Rucker and Reulbach who were viewed as 'great' by their contemporaries, but who were ignored by the more knowledgeable sportswriters and fans who succeeded them. Reulbach was basically run out of the majors because of the Federal League, so he missed the 10-year prerequisite to get in the HOF. Rucker pitched for some sorry-assed Dodgers teams and was the ace of the staff, thus he was matched up whenever possible against the best that the other teams had. Plus, he was from Alpharetta, Georgia, where I used to live. He was a great guy and hard not to like. I still collect his stuff, but I don't have too much.
__________________
SC0TT F0RREST

Scott,
I can't fault your reasoning for wanting to collect these two players.

BTW, I believe that I remember seeing the Nap Rucker no-hit ball that you described in your earlier post. Keep in mind that back in Rucker's era baseballs were VERY pricey, relatively speaking and it was expected (demanded) by the home team that a foul ball be returned to the field because that was THE game ball. foul balls were not considered fair game as souvenirs until perhaps the 1930's. Some teams even had security guards or ushers in the stands that would retrieve foul balls from the fans to bring the ball back into play. When I was doing the research on my game used HB "Dutch" Leonard no-hit ball from 1916 I came across some of the facts that I just mentioned that I had never previously known...

My point is that the Nap Rucker no-hit ball that you referenced is probably one of one or two known to exist. What a great collectible, IMHO...
That being said, you have to feel comfortable with an items provenance. With collectibles this old, a certain "leap of faith" is required because absolute provenance isn't always available.

[Runscott]

Scott, I wish I had known you back then and we had discussed the ball. Your logic is sound and I probably would have bid high on it.

[Runscott]

Regarding the Medwick, I would hang onto it until you run across a Medwick collector