[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

Signature removal has already been a problem for years. There is a fellow out on the west coast whose artistically-gifted daughter actually paints over unwanted signatures. She is able to match the exact hues (including various toning/staining issues which are unique to each ball). A regular Sherwin-Williams. Pretty incredible, and very scary. This man offers complete disclosure with his service, but it's up to the customer as to what he wants to do next. The authentication staff at PSA and JSA (at least when I worked there) could spot the majority of these "white washes" with the naked eye, and VSC examination never failed to actualy display the signatures that were painted over.

Self-education is the key here. If you are interested in buying, say, a Mel Ott single-signed ball, there are all of these things to consider:

-Familiarize yourself with Ott's signature using verifiable exemplars

-Study every Ott-signed ball you can find, to include single-signed, multi-signed and team-signed variations (watch out for the rubber stamp he sometimes used as Giants manager!)

-Notice where Ott most often chose to sign a ball. It's not on the sweet spot, but rather the side panel which he favored.

-Familiarize yourself with how to date official baseballs. I believe articles have been written about this.

-Early on in Ott's career, he was apt to sign horizontally on a side panel. Later on (circa mid-1930's-onward), it was more common to see Ott sign vertically on the side panel (usually towards the top stitching).

-If the Ott signature is in a very odd place for a single-signed ball, be very careful. For instance, if Ott is at the extreme top or bottom of a horizontally-signed side panel, that is a great cause for concern. It seems as though Ott favored the middle of a blank side panel if he was signing on the horizontal. It was only if the panel had been signed by others that he would squeeze his signature in at the top or bottom. The same rule applies if you see Ott's sig signed at the bottom of a vertical side panel. And, actually, many clubhouse versions of Ott's signature could be found at this location. Thankfully, nobody in the Giants organization could effectively mirror Mel's six-letter stroke.

-Ott was NOT a fan of signing on the sweet spot. He did hit the sweet spot periodiacally as Giants manager, but note that this was also the area where the rubber-stamped version would be placed. Unlike other Giants managers, Ott was not particularly fond of employing the rubber stamp on a regular basis.

I suppose the most important hint to be offered is simple: If a signature found on a single-signed baseball is situated in an area and fashion that doesn't sit right with you, hold back on purchasing it until more research can be done. Unless you know some eccentiricity to be a consistent baseball-signing habit of the player in question, it's best to hold off.