Autograph opinion - what do I do next?

[Huck]

I just did a quick search using the words "football bladder repair" - I assumed you did not use Wilson so I moved on. I clicked on the first mom and pop outfit and on the front page of the website was the following -

"Why not send it into us for repair and revitalization? We'll replace the old bladder with a new Butyl Rubber bladder and re-lace it with genuine rubberized nylon football lace. We'll also lightly recondition the leather before returning it to you."

Check to see if the process is stated on the website. If the process in stated on the website, I think you are eating this one. At any time during the exchange of email messages did you state "DO NOT TOUCH THE AUTOGRAPH"? Frankly, I don't think the second ball is bad. Ray, died in 1998, so I would expect the football to have a bit of a frozen tundra patina. However, if you don't like it, it is like having a stain on your shirt that no one will notice but you know the stain is there. Common sense should dictate that one should not rub a conditioning ointment on an autograph, however the artisan replaces bladders he/she is not an autograph expert.

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, nor do I play one on television.

[effe]

Thanks for the response. As far as I can tell he has no website. He has an Ebay account and uses a business name as his Paypal account. I found him via a recommendation. At no point in our exchange did he mention the added service other than saying what he did was "restoration". Maybe I should have asked what he meant by that but I had no reason to believe he intended to do anything other than what I had requested. I can only guess this is the first time he "conditioned" a ball with silver paint pen as I expect he wouldn't have done it more than once.

I agree it doesn't look that bad. Heck, if I had first seen it in its current state I may have bought it if the price was right. But at one point it was the nicest version I had seen and I can't forget that which is really what is keeping from me enjoying it in my collection.

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

In two decades of work experience, he has never had occasion to rebladdificate a ball signed in silver? Forgive me if I'm dubious.

If it is indeed his first time experiencing this, he should be very open to offering you something (and something more than a refund for his work).

It's basic knowledge that applying liquid to ink can often meet with disastrous results. It's his business to know this. While signed balls may not be the majority of what he restores, you had better believe he has had his hands on a ton of them in 20 years. Even if he has a website with properly stated verbiage, I really feel he would only get off the hook if there is any sort of fine print on a submission form which you signed.

On the flipside, I do feel that it's the customer's responsibility to ask a lot of questions in addition to the restorer's obligation to verbally state or re-state if something potentially hazardous was being used in any process.

[rand1com]

Autograph still looks good.

I know of some who replace the bladder and specify they cannot be responsible for any autograph problems as their service is to replace a bladder.

Perhaps they should have contacted you before replacing it stating they could not be responsible for the integrity of the autograph upon completion.

I would just eat it if it was me.