Some assistance needed

[Schad]

I'm a complete novice, who happens to be in possession of a ball signed by a number of members of the Yankees: Gehrig, Ruffing, Combs, Rolfe, Hoag, Tommy Henrich, Johnny Murphy, and the immortal Frank Makosky (whose presence would seem to peg this as 1937). I contacted Heritage Auctions a few years back; as it was neither a highly desirable single Gehrig or a more complete team ball, they stated that its price at auction would be highly variable...it would effectively depend on whether the right buyer or buyers were found to take an interest.

The ball has been in my family since signed -- my great-great aunt worked at a Boston area hotel at that time, and it was supposedly signed during a September road trip -- and consequently it is not authenticated. Heritage didn't seem to raise any concerns in that regard, but I'd also imagine that is something they would address if taking the ball on consignment. I'm in something of a backwater in terms of proximity to places where I could have it authenticated (the Maritimes, in Canada), and am somewhat reticent to ship it off unless it's wholly necessary.

I'm curious what route those here would take if seeking a buyer. Get it authenticated, or are the signatures verifiable enough to sell as is? Submit it to an auction house, or try to find a private buyer (and precisely how one would suggest going about that)? I'm well aware that these are complex, open-ended questions, so any advice big or small is much appreciated.

A few pictures:

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

Unofficial ball with Gehrig displaying as a sweet spot single. It's worth about $3K. Try to sell here for free.

[Schad]

Thanks for the quick reply. Out of curiosity, is it just a random baseball? It's the one element I've never been able to verify...the (now AA) Eastern League didn't come into being until 1938 from what I can tell, which doesn't overlap with Makosky's time as a playing member of the Yankees.

[btcarfagno]

Originally Posted by BillyCox3

Unofficial ball with Gehrig displaying as a sweet spot single. It's worth about $3K. Try to sell here for free.

I agree. If there was a signature near Gehrig I would say value of no more than $1,500. With the Gehrig able to display pretty much as a single it definitely adds desirability to the ball. Definitely authentic. There may be someone on Net54 who would pay decent enough money for you to forego the auction route. Worth a shot.

[deagleii]

Prices do vary on balls. Especially the unofficial ones. The value here is the provenance I believe. I would recommend you sending to JSA for autograph authentication.

Then sell on here.

[Steve D]

Originally Posted by Schad

Thanks for the quick reply. Out of curiosity, is it just a random baseball? It's the one element I've never been able to verify...the (now AA) Eastern League didn't come into being until 1938 from what I can tell, which doesn't overlap with Makosky's time as a playing member of the Yankees.

The Eastern League has been AA since 1963. Before that, it was Single-A from 1938 - 1962. It was also a Single-A league from 1916 - 1932, before being inactive from 1933 - 1937. It also had a couple of stretches going back to 1884.

Since it appears the ball was signed in 1937, the ball itself is probably from the 1920s - early 1930s, before the league had their five year hiatus from 1933 - 1937.

Steve

[deagleii]

Bump

[earlywynnfan]

Originally Posted by deagleii

Bump

why?