Speaking of Roger Maris...thoughts on this signed letter?
 

Hi all,

Does anybody have any thoughts on whether or not the Maris signature on this letter is authentic?

Sorry that the scan is blurry -- it's not mine. Most of the Maris signature examples that I can find are from his later years, so I'm having trouble determining whether this letter is really him or if it's just a secretarial / bat boy signature. The R and M look different as does the slope of the signature, but then again, I'm not a autograph expert...

Curiously enough, the letter appears to be dated 9/29/63 (again, darn blurry scan) -- if that's the case, Ford, Mantle, Al Downing, Maris, Elston Howard, and Ralph Hauk appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show that day. It was also the day after the regular season ended.

Anyways, any comments or thoughts on the signature are appreciated...

Steve

blurry image; but appears to be an autopen

Thank you very much!
Steve

Maris used an Autopen? Are there published Autopen patterns?

Maris did not use an Autopen. The Yankees did have a rubber stamp, though.
(I know. I received one from them in 1961.)

It is hard to tell via the blurry image, but this doesn't seem to be a stamp...but it certainly doesn't look like any Maris example I could find. The slant and sharpness of both the R and the M don't match anything I could find, whether it be old, new, on a flat, or on a ball.

Someone offered it to me, but I passed, as it didn't feel right...

Thank you for the continued feedback!
Steve

Slant is okay for an early signature.