[Archive]

Posted By: Tom Hufford

In general, caps are all alike. Aside from the size tag, there is nothing to distinguish one from another - no year tag, no number, no name, like a jersey has (or may have). These days, if a player needs a new cap, he just goes into the clubhouse, where there are boxes of each size cap, picks out one his size, and puts it on. Unless he writes something under the bill (his name, nickname, or usually his uniform number), no one will ever know who wore it after he takes it off.

A cap - signed or unsigned - will never have the value that a jersey would have.

If this cap were ever to be separated from the letter of authenticity, someone in the future may be able to identify it as a San Antonio cap, but probably not the year, and certainly not the player who wore it. If you had bought this from a yard sale in San Antonio, it may well have been Brooks', but no one would have ever known, or been able to prove, it.

That being said, I would have Brooks sign it under the brim (a better writing surface than on top), something like "Brooks Robinson - my 1956 cap".
And I'd have him do it in ballpoint - they didn't have sharpies in 1956.