'38 Yankees ball

[shelly]

David ,being dyslexic is a hard think to deal with. You, being a complete ass seems for you to be a simple task.
I do apologize to the rest of you.

[shelly]

I will agree that if they had the players permission to do the signing then it is not as you say a forgery.

[David Atkatz]

Here's another distinction, Shelly.
Forgery is (as I'm sure you know now) illegal.
Proxy signing is not.

[shelly]

Here is how PSA describes a clubhouse ball.
The existence of additional writing, by someone other than the primary signer, will not be factored into the autograph grade but it will be factored into the grade of the ball itself. For example, it is not uncommon to see a vintage Babe Ruth autographed ball with additional notations placed on the ball by the person who obtained it. It may simply be dated by another person or contain a notation about the event (Yankees versus Red Sox – Ruth hits two homers) or (The Sultan of Swat). Additional writing on the piece by a 2nd party, in most cases, would preclude the ball itself from reaching a grade above PSA NM-MT 8.

Keep in mind that clubhouse autographs are approached in a different manner when evaluating team signed baseballs. For clarification, clubhouse autographs are those that were made by a bat boy, ball boy or other clubhouse attendant for a particular team. It was very common for team employees to forge player autographs on team signed baseballs. In many cases, while many of the autographs on a baseball may indeed be authentic, some player autographs may be of the clubhouse variety due to player unavailability, etc.

While clubhouse signatures will be identified on the PSA/DNA letters of authenticity, they may not hinder the overall grade of a baseball since their existence is fairly common and the autographs were not forged in a malicious manner. Severity and eye-appeal may be factors but, generally speaking, the grader approaches clubhouse autographs as if they did not exist on the baseball.

[shelly]

I do have one question. When did club house end.?

[Jerry42]

Does a key clubhuse signature render the ball a fake? Shelly says it is a fake. Others disagree. My experience is with Charlie DiGiovanna "Dodger" balls. They sell for about $300. Although I would not pay that much, I like a couple that I have since it is a part of Dodger history. It's a historical icon.

I also agree with the view expressed that a forged ball would pollute my collection, and I would destroy it. I have several team balls that have four or five clubhouse signatures according to the authenticators. Since none of the clubhouse signatures are Campy or Jackie, those balls are worth close to a grand. But, as Shelly would say, the '38 Yankee ball had a clubhouse Gehrig. Although the value is greatly diminished because it lacks a real Gehrig, it is part of history.

The debate is basically semantical. Whether a clubhouse ball is fake or real is not the point. As long as we don't pay the price that they'd be worth without clubhouse signatures.

No need to attack each other over different views.