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davidcyclebackIf a collector is interested in buying a Ruth and is worried about authenticity, he or she might consider buying a signed personal check. Not only are Ruth checks much harder to forge, but they are cheaper than a ball.
For autographs, signed personal checks, vintage letters (especially with mailing envelopes and/or on personal stationary), contracts, postally used government postcards are relatively safe. Single signed baseballs and photos are the most commonly forged. Team balls are safer than single signed balls, as it's harder to forge well all the players on the ball. Though obviously one has to lookout for clubhouse signatures.
Also, provenance can help. For example a Ty Cobb photo known to have from the collections of Jeffrey Morey, Roy Pitts or M. Watt Espy. These were old timer collectors, who collected baseball and other autographs before they were worth much. You will occasionally hear "From the Roy Pitts collection" or "from the Jeff Morey collection" which is a good sign You may find a letter or enveloped or personalization addressed to one of these guys, and know the source is reputable. I know Espy and Pitts also collected non-sport autographs through the mail, so you can also find a Marlon Brando or Albert Einstein photo or letter obtained by them. I had a large Pitts/Espy collection and a surprising amount came with the original envelopes addressed to them-- postmarked and often with the signer's return address. Obviously, make you more confident autographed item inside is genuine.
Mike Gutierrez once said that one of the best signs a vintage autograph is authentic is when it comes with the original mailing envelope.
I recently had a J. Edgar Hoover signed letter with the postmarked mailing envelope with his personal FBI return address. Of course you have to consider whether whether the signature is his, autopen or secretarial. However, the envelope shows the autograph came from J. Edgar Hoover's office while he was working there. You don't have to be an autograph expert to know that's a good place for a Hoover autograph to have originated.