My father-in-law contacted me a couple of days ago about a signed baseball one of his neighbors inherited from her father. He apparently had some kind of connection to the Washington team back in the early 50s, though she didn't know much about the ball itself. Her dad was a lifelong supporter of Boys/Girls Clubs, and they're mainly thinking about donating the ball to a charity auction, but wanted to get a sense of value (and authenticity).
I asked for pictures, and based on the signatures I could identify (Runnels, Yost, Mele, and a couple of others), it looks like a 1951 team ball, and the signatures seem to match known exemplars.
It's rough, though, condition-wise, and that team had a distinct lack of marquee names. What I think was probably a comparable ball sold in a Heritage auction a couple of years ago for the grand sum of $56. I think that was with BP.
Here's a link to an album with a few images of the ball, but I'll also insert some pictures below for those who are averse to being asked to click-thru. Any insights as to value (or if I'm wrong in thinking it's an authentic ball) would, I'm sure, be appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Morrie
Album:
https://imgur.com/a/KwRsOv6
