Quote:
Originally Posted by bowmanred
Regarding price, Heritage has an awesome database of past auction results which should pin the value down. Singles are almost always more expensive than team balls, which makes zero sense to me, but the market makes the rules. The autograph legibility and position on the ball makes a big difference, with the sweet spot being most desirable. If Ruth personalized the ball, that would usually drop the value a lot. Ruth was the single biggest sports star in America for a while and was a generous signer, meaning single signed balls exist in far greater quantities than with other signers of the period. That being said if you're new to autographs Ruth is a very ambitious target given that there are tremendous forgeries that are known to have gotten by TPA. I'd be suspicious of any balls that are "too good." I don't think forgers are bothering to do personalized side panel balls but be wary anyways. Provenance is also a tricky thing since it is easily faked and is usually just "I promise my pappy said he got it directly from Ruth himself." In fact, the best and most prolific Ruth forger would fake provenance, sort of like autograph "fencing."
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I appreciate the thoughtful reply. If I do this, I will be extra vigilant to be as sure of the authenticity as I possibly can. As you point out, this is a big chase auto for a newbie into auto’s but this may be a unique opportunity for me to be able to swing a one-time purchase like this. It would be a capstone, probably one and done auto in a sea of vintage cards.
But if I am only going to have 1 - this would be my choice.
Thanks again for the insights and advice - no rush on this one
Jeff