What was it worth then ? And now
 

Just wondering if anyone knows what a Babe Ruth autographed ball was worth through the decades ? I wouldn't mind hearing about other your own personal auto stories. If you got a Lou Gehrig in 1962 ? Or a try Cobb auto in 1970 and the price from then to now.

Dustin,

This is an interesting thread...much like the guy who didn't want to pay a whopping $300 for a Mantle RC x amount of years ago.

I remember seeing a beat up Mantle in my local card shop back in about 1995...the guy wanted $800 for it and I thought he was bonkers. That same card would probably easily fetch $4-$5K today.

I would love to hear about some kid's dad grumbling about paying $30 for a Ruth ball back in 1945 or something!

I was just a kid....
 

My folks used to drag my siblings and I to an antique show from time to time in the mid 80's. We would get there mid afternoon on a Sunday, in the blazing heat, with the dusty isles and trampled grass, and I would always search for cheap cards, as I was usually almost always nearly broke and only about 10 years old. There was one old guy that always had a small selection of t206s in an old binder and I remember buying a couple including Brain and Thelen.....but I vividly remember to this day the exact spot another dealer was set up with a 52 topps Mantle in a thick lucite screw down case that had rounded corners, probably grading Good-VG at best and priced at $500. It blew my mind. How could anybody ever save that much money?

I started collecting card again in 1976 after my mom tossed all mine. I had just got married and didn't have a lot of money but I had a chance to buy a 1952 Mantle rookie for $400.00. I begged my wife over and over to no avail. Today when I buy something and she whimpers at what i spent I remind her of the Mantle card and it's value today.

I used to buy from a guy named Max in the mid 60's. Ruth gehrig, Jimmy Collins and most other HOFers. had a cut or Sullican and Corbett the day of the fight. Most I ever paid was $35 for an item. Sold the whole collection for $250 in 1968. Would love to know what I had. had been writing players for years and widows to get cancelled checks etc.

Michael -

Max was quite the character and had some nice stuff, but was apparently was not careful whom he purchased from. Visited him at his home a few times, his wife was very nice.

Several items I bought from him (pre-WWI HOFers) I later discovered over the years were bogus. Don't think it was necessarily Max's fault but I suspect he bought stuff from the infamous Ron Dross.

I was young, trusting and still learning the game back then.

yeah me too. Wish I kept it so I could find out. Also wish I had all the vintage signed cards I got through the mail and the checks from the widows

For those who do not know, Ron Dross was probably the first of the big time forgers in the baseball hobby.
He was the "mastermind" behind the B&W HOF plak scam where he forged THOUSANDS of B&W Artvue Plaks, purchased from a Cooperstown hobby shop, and sold them to a few dealers through a front man whose name I do not remember now.
Dross was one huge fat guy and is now six feet under. As Clarence Darrow said: "I never killed a man but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure."

In 1985, I dug out my old baseball cards and began collecting again. I remember going to a card show where someone had a Rose rookie card for $600. The table next to it had a Ruth signed ball for $600. I remember thinking that you could buy a piece of cardboard for the same price as a baseball signed by Babe Ruth. At that moment, I stopped collecting cards and started collecting signed balls. Of course, I should have bought the Ruth ball but I didn't. In 1992, I finally bought a Ruth ball for $1800.

In the late 80's I passed on a very nice Gehrig for 500, and a framed and matted Cobb check (with my exact B-day on it) for 200. Both times it was all the money I had with me and there were a lot of other things I wanted. Wish I had purchased both.

I purchased a Mint cobb check matted and framed piece with my exact birthday on it a few yeas back and I still love it to this day...1150 is what I paid.

Yep, of all the things I've missed out on, that one is the one that still eats at me. Unfortunately for me, it was like one of the first things I saw, and by the time I got to the end of the hall (it was a real big show) I went back and it was gone. Should have just purchased it and called it a day, but I didn't.

Keep an eye on ebay...Cobb checks arent hard to find...took me a few years but i found it!!