Halper’s Famous 500 HR Club Sheet Has Fake Babe Ruth Autograph
http://haulsofshame.com/blog/?p=3167
Taken from article:
Ron Keurajian, expert and author of the soon to be published Signatures From Cooperstown, said: “In my opinion, the Ruth signature that appears on the page is a forgery, and a poorly executed one at that.” (Keurajian also noted he had doubts about the Jimmie Foxx signature featured on the sheet.)
Mike Heffner of Lelands said: “I have never seen a legitimate Babe Ruth signature look like that one. It is way, way out of proportion. The spacing, letter size, letter formation, slant etc. are not consistent with legitimate examples.”
Josh Evans of Lelands said: “I always had a problem with this one. This Ruth is definitely no good.”
Steven Koschal, autograph expert and hobby veteran said: “I have examined the Babe Ruth signature you sent me. I am no longer “shocked” at the inability of auction houses to do any homework researching autographs. This Ruth example is a very poor excuse to even label it a forgery. There is absolutely no excuse for this incompetence as there are several true “experts” in the field of sports autographs should sellers and auction houses seek them out.”
Richard Simon, hobby autograph veteran from New York City said: ” Based on the scan I am not comfortable with this Ruth signature. I would be able to give a more definitive opinion if I could examine the original.”
John Rogers, Arkansas collector and Ruth specialist, who purchased over $250,000 of Ruth items at the Halper Sale in 1999, said: “There was a lot of doubt about this item at the time of the Halper sale. I didn’t like it then and I don’t like it now. I steered clear of it and so did other collectors. I’ve seen a lot of Ruth forgeries over the years and this is not one of the better ones.”
Doug Allen of Legendary Auctions said: “I am 100% sure that the Ruth signature on this 500 HR sheet was not signed by Babe Ruth. It’s not even close.”
Jim Stinson, the veteran autograph dealer, said he was: “Unable to render a definitive opinion on the Babe Ruth signature based solely on the scan.”