B.b.b.b.g.t.m.

[Stonepony]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

I enjoyed your video, can I ask you about the Willie Mays autograph?

I believe you say they were all in-person signatures. Is that truly the case? Were you there when he signed it, or was your dad solo? The reason I ask is because there is a long standing debate concerning his autographs, namely how people (who never offer any proof of it) claim that autographs similar to yours were done by his wife. Their sticking point is often the specific use of a dot above each 'i' (Just looked this up: It's called a “tittle,” better known as a superscript dot or diacritic dot) means that Mrs. Mays, NOT Willie, signed it. I've never bought that (but readily admit that I have no proof of it either). All the TTM autos people have from that time period (I'm assuming the 1980's?) look so very similar to yours, so it's hard to fathom how two different people (not counting professional forgers) could possibly have the exact same handwriting. I'm hoping you may be able to add some 'proof' or insight to the debate. Here's a screenshot from your video:

Attachment 442798

Here's what some of mine look like:

Attachment 442799

Thanks!

Interesting question that I cannot answer for certain. I will say that I had nothing to do with the signage of that card. Mays was a pretty regular ( albeit cranky) signer at shows in the early 80s and I for sure remember getting multiple items signed at the shows in person. I'm rather certain that my dad did not send this in the mail to Mr Mays as a TTM auto. The reason being 1) It seemed unlikely he would sign through the mail and 2) including Mays in this set was a matter of anxiety and trepidation for my dad as he thought if any one of the players would protest with " rights of image" or other legal problems... it would be mays!!! Therefore without direct proof , I am very confident this was obtained in person. Here is the kicker though: he had a large collection of a around 150 autographed HOF plaques that i sold a few years ago. The buyer sent them off to PSA DNA and everyone of the cards were authentic... except the Mays!?!?. I have zero idea where he obtained the plaque but PSA thought it was no good. So, I havent helped you much but it was fun to think about!
- Dave