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01-19-2009, 11:13 AM
Posted By: <b>Mike Navarro</b><p>This ball has spiked my interest. However, it has a big league flaw. It's a signed Ty Cobb ball described as the following:<br><br><br><br>"Ty Cobb is remembered as much for his intimidating demeanor as his legendary batting accomplishments. In 1936, despite an enduring reputation as the meanest player in the game, Cobb became the leading vote-getter among the first group to be elected into the brand new Hall of Fame, beating even Ruth and Wagner. As much as Cobb enjoyed his reputation for being hard nosed, he remained an accommodating autograph signer. This OAL (Harridge) ball bears a superb example of his signature on a side panel in jet black ink (10/10) along with his date notation "5/9/53". The salutation, "Best Wishes" preceding Cobb's signature appears to have initially been written in green ink, and then written over in the same black pen by Cobb, as determined by third party authenticators who've inspected it. The ball's stampings have faded substantially. A heavy coat of shellac protects the surface. Apart from a minor blemish on the seam above the inscription and another affecting the "B" in "Best", the ball's creamy toned surface is fairly clean. LOAs from PSA/DNA and JSA."<br><br><br><br><img src="http://i41.tinypic.com/51yret.jpg" alt="[linked image]"><br><br><br><br>My questions are as follows:<br><br><br><br>What is the probability that only the salutation was traced over and not the whole signature? (I realize from the scan that you can tell that there's not green under the sig, but I guess what I'm trying to ask is what's the probability that the black writing was done at the initial time of signing, and was not years later by someone else AFTER the green had faded away?) <br><br>What would be a reasonable price to pay for the ball considering the flaw? <br><br>What percentage of value would you expect this ball to maintain compared to a non-flawed example?<br><br><br><br>Sorry for the large picture, but it's the best way to show the flaw.<br><br><br><br>thanks,<br><br><br><br>Mike