[drc]

Also remember that there's less forgery for lesser players compared to the Mantles and Cobbs. Mantle is a prime focus for forgers. Notice that the forgery alert threads on this board seem to invariably involve Ruth, Cobb, Mantle, Ted Williams and the like. Have yet to see one for Manny Mendoza or Don Aase.

The best start to gather authentic autographs is to gather a list of reputable sellers and do much of your buying through them. Not only will they be honest, knowledgeable about what they sell but they will give refund if they make an error. And there are such reputable sellers on eBay. And when you keep record of your purchase form a well known and reputable dealer, that's known as good provenance. You can demonstrate to potential buyers or whomever that the ball came from a reputable source.