opinions: team signed baseballs value

[Bumpus Jones]

Thanks for everyone's input. Neat story about Neal Armstrong!

[drc]

With star players, especially from early in their careers can have extra value. A 1974 or 75 Brewers team ball with an early Robin Yount will bring extra due to the Yount. Sort of a rookie card ball.

For the casual buyer, star name(s) will often make the difference. A buyer may not be a fan of the Atlanta Braves, but Hank Aaron is Hank Aaron.

[roarfrom34]

along these same lines, I've always thought All Star team balls are undervalued as well

[drc]

This may point to team balls being something one could 'invest' in. A buyer's market. I think they're a safe purchase as team balls will always have appeal to collectors and team fans. The bottom of the market won't fall out.

I used to buy team balls and always thought they could be had for a song. So to speak. And in fact I once had a rookie Robin Yount/Brewers, which is why I used that example. My favorites were 1920s minor league team balls from Babe Herman's estate/family auction a few years back. Babe collected team balls from the teams he played on.

[HexsHeroes]

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. . . because the intensitiy of the ink signatures always seems much bolder in photos than when held in hand under "normal" lighting. But from time to time, I will cross over, and purchase a signed ball. But either price has had to compensate for the failure of the signatures to look as good as they did in the pictures, or the quality of the signatures has to be as good as pictured, and/or the team is from the 1910's/1920's. I will gladly pay more than estimate if the signatures are very bold and clear. And I have come to really appreciate the scarcity of team signed baseballs from the teen's and twenty's; most especially those with decent quality signatures and minimal crazing of the shellace/clear coat finish.