Rex Barney no-hit baseball

[MikeMankin]

I would like to say "Hi", this is my first post here at Net54. Some of you may know me from CU, user name "cocoabeach dodgers". I am collecting Brooklyn & LA Dodger items & love the unusuals.

I am trying to find some information on a ball I recently obtained. I have contacted CU board, Baltimore Orioles, LA Dodgers, Wally Moon, HOF Museum, and googled my butt off. I have heard their are many knowledgeable folks here at Net54, so maybe somebody has seen this ball before.

It is a Ford Frick National League ball with "No Hit No Run", "9-9-48", and a summary of the game printed neatly around the seams. It is signed by Rex Barney and has been shellacked.

http://s1269.photobucket.com/user/mankin043/media/23895c_lg_zpsb9c7dfe3.jpg.html

http://s1269.photobucket.com/user/mankin043/media/23895b_lg_zpsef0f068c.jpg.html

http://s1269.photobucket.com/user/mankin043/media/23895a_med_zps4363b76d.jpg.html

[Scott Garner]

Hi Mike,

Welcome to net54! I actually do recall seeing this ball in the not to distant past. I actually saved the photo image at one time, but lost it during a computer crash about a year ago. I do not recall which catalogue auction had it, but it was offered within the last 2-4 years.

I suspect it is real and that certainly is a vintage Rex Barney signature based upon inspection.

For what it's worth I really like the way it was inscribed. It's a first rate job all the way.

[earlywynnfan]

It just was sold two weeks ago. Same thing: really cool ball that someone made into a nice display. I also think the sig is real.

Ken

[MGHPro]

Looks similar to the balls that were sold by hunt for the sports immortals museum .
Matt

[thecatspajamas]

FWIW, looks like the ball dates to the 1949-51 period based on the stamping.

[MikeMankin]

Thank you Matt, Lance, Scott & Early for your input.

I picked up this ball at the recent Sterling auction so yes, it did recently sale.

If you are correct about the date, that would not be good because the game in question was played at the end of the 1948 season.

Matt, you are the first person that I have heard from that has seen the ball in the past besides the information I received from the auction house. It would really be helpful if you could narrow it down some as to which AH. Maybe there are some you used back than more than others? The AH upon my request, contacted the consigner for me, but all he could remember was that he picked it up at an auction a few years ago. He said he had a large collection, so he could not remember which AH.

The Baltimore Orioles contacted a friend of Rex's for me but he did not remember Rex mentioning the ball in the past.

I am still waiting for the return of some correspondences. That is where I stand down!

[earlywynnfan]

It sounds like you are hoping it's a ball actually used in the game or some such. I think it's just an auto'd ball that someone decorated up.

Ken

[thecatspajamas]

Did the AH state that it was used in the game? I would lean more towards what Ken suggested, that it was done as a memento commemorating the event, but not necessarily coming from the actual game. To me, it looks a little too clean to have been game-used (and yes, I realize it could not have been hit in the game, but he didn't throw any pitches in the dirt either...?) Even in the best of cases, without solid provenance (and sometimes even with), these kinds of things are impossible to prove years down the road.

BTW, the dates I gave were from Brandon Grunbaum's ball guide. If you contact him at info@historyofthebaseball.com, he may be able to offer better insight as to why those dates are given for when the ball was produced.

[MGHPro]

The auction I was referring to was the hunt/ guernseys sale of the sports immortals museum . I looked through the catalog and didn't see that ball. My thought is that the ball originates from Harry Evans . I did buy a ball from sports immortals that was from Evans collection , so it's very possible the museum sold it outright .
I don't believe the ball is game used .. I would reach out to Joel Platt and see if he recalls it
Matt

[Scott Garner]

I thought that I saw that the Rex Barney ball sold for an extremely nominal amount in the Sterling auction. Any modern ball signed by Rex Barney is worth a minimum of $100+. I believe this ball sold for less yet it is a vintage signature on a vintage ball which I believe enhances its value.

Why not keep the ball? It's still an awesome signed Rex Barney ball, FWIW...

[MikeMankin]

Yes, I was very happy with the price. I figured that if it was game used-great deal, not game used-still decent price. Either way, this ball goes into my collection, I did not buy it to resale.

Here are my thoughts why I thought it was the final out game used ball:
Somebody went thru a lot of effort to do the small, neat printing. It was most likely done back in that era because of the Frick ball & the shellacking. Why would somebody go thru all that effort if it was not the game ball? Back then, it would not carry a monetary value, so probably not done by a scammer.
Somebody had mentioned that they thought it may have been a commemorative ball given out at a game. I do not believe that to be correct because it is not machine printed as all the letters are not identical. Also if there was even a small quantity, others would have popped up here & there.

So yes, I was hoping it was the final out ball & I was trying to confirm, but if it is not, that is ok also.

[MGHPro]

Harry Evans would print stats like that on balls and bats
Matt