Need help on Yankee era Reggie Jackson signature on team ball

[btcarfagno]

Hello all. Just want to get some thoughts regarding the legitimacy of the Reggie Jackson autograph below. I know Jackson would often sign the side opposite Billy Martin on a ball, and this one...over the "Official Ball" stamp...is opposite Billy on the sweet spot. It looks like other Reggies I have seen, but would like to get some other opinions before deciding whether or not to jump in on it.



Thanks for any help!

Tom C

[GrayGhost]

Compared to a lot of Reggie's ive seen, it doesn't look right, b ut other opinions are needed.

[travrosty]

It has a chance, doesn't it?

[GrayGhost]

The R is off, rest looks spot on w the card.

[Scott Garner]

Originally Posted by GrayGhost

The R is off, rest looks spot on w the card.

I agree w/ Scott. The R looks suspect to me, FWIW......

[mr2686]

I have about 10 or 12 sigs of Reggie all ranging from mid 80's to current and all in-person. Reggie definitely has some variations over the years, but they are pretty consistent and have more to do with being rushed. One thing for sure, all of mine and all the ones I've ever seen (for what that's worth) have a much more "aggressive" R in reggie, especially in the ones where he's rushed which cause his "Jackson" to become truncated (like the one on your ball). If pressed, I'd say it wasn't good. Most likely a clubhouse if it's truly from that era.

[roarfrom34]

I have a 1976 Orioles team signed ball with a nearly identical Jackson in the same spot

[mr2686]

Roar, would you mind posting a picture of it?

[btcarfagno]

This is the one I was using as an exemplar for the one I am interested in purchasing. It is a 1978 version of his signature.



Thanks to everyone for their comments!

Tom C

[whitehse]

Originally Posted by mr2686

I have about 10 or 12 sigs of Reggie all ranging from mid 80's to current and all in-person. Reggie definitely has some variations over the years, but they are pretty consistent and have more to do with being rushed. One thing for sure, all of mine and all the ones I've ever seen (for what that's worth) have a much more "aggressive" R in reggie, especially in the ones where he's rushed which cause his "Jackson" to become truncated (like the one on your ball). If pressed, I'd say it wasn't good. Most likely a clubhouse if it's truly from that era.

Just a stupid question.....I think it is common knowledge, at least now anyway, that Reggie would sign opposite Billy Martin on team balls. Do we think it was common knowledge to the clubhouse people who Reggie employed to sign team balls back in the day? I know when I have seen. in person, team balls signed via clubhouse signatures, the guys doing the signing didnt care much where they were placing the "autograph" as long as it got on there. I wondered if we think this little quirk of Jackson's would have been followed by the clubbies when signing for him? Any thoughts?

[mr2686]

Just as a reference, I found photos of the following two balls. A 72 Oakland A's ball and another 1977 Yankees ball. I won't try to sway your opinion one way or the other, just giving you additional info on his sig in the 70's. Hope it helps.

[mr2686]

Andrew, the short answer is that there's no way to tell for sure (unless you ask Reggie) if it was common knowledge...however, here's a question, did Reggie always sign right after Billy or was it common knowledge to leave that spot open for Reggie? If everyone else knew, wouldn't the clubhouse guys? Either way, it doesn't mean that this for sure isn't a good sig, but I'd like to hear from some experts specific to that era Yankees sigs.

[Scott Garner]

By the 1980's during Reggie's stint with the Angels he actually shared the sweet spot with the manager. Reggie signed on top & the manager below (Gene Mauch)... Reggie's penmanship looked much better in the 1980's, I'll tell you that.

[MooseDog]

The OPs ball looks like Reggie's IP signature in the mid to late 1970s. The pics on Mike R's post give a good case study in the evolution or Reggie's signature.

I practically lived at the Oakland Coliseum in the early 1970s and Reggie was tough IP but would sign on occasion. The left ball in Mike's photos is what you got if Reggie signed while sitting in his car circa 1971-73. By the mid-1970s he's signing Reggie Jack, and by the time he joined the Angels, Reggie J was about all you could expect in person.

[mr2686]

Great info Moosedog, thanks! It looks like somewhere around maybe 77 into 78 Reggie started experimenting with a more agressive R with the line going to the E being convex. From what I can tell, his 80's sigs are very consistent with this new style and has remained this way...actually, surprisingly consistent. Anyway, I'm a big fan of the early 70's A's so this info will be very helpful on team balls from that era as well.