I was recently looking through my signed baseballs... most obtained in-person in the 1990s and early 2000s. So, they are typically Selig and Budig official baseballs.
They have been stored in cubes in a cool dry closet since they day they were signed. In a shocking number of cases, the balls have dark toning and stains. On some, portions of the ballpoint signature has almost evaporated. Not like UV fading, but portions of the signature are significantly lighter than other parts. Yet, some balls stored in the same closet are still snow white.
I suspect this is the result of chemical reactions of oils and/or the chemicals used to process the leather. It is certainly not environmental or from handling.
In my view, recently signed baseballs are like investing in a ticking time bomb. Even under the best conditions they can fade or stain to the point of undesirability. There isn't a thing you can do to prevent it.
I would not purchase a signed ball unless it was at least 20 years old at this point. I think if you get to a certain age and the ball is still clean looking, it likely stable and will remain free of atypical spots or toning.
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