Any thoughts on this Splendid Splinter

[bender07]

Originally Posted by RichardSimon

I always hate to say this,,, but if you had sent me a check to authenticate this, I would probably send you the check back and say I cannot say yes or no. It happens about two or three times a year. (I don't do the volume that the big two do, I am the boutique authenticator, and you can always get me on the phone as opposed to them).
I trust my exemplar file and I have one or two with some similarities to your sig incl. that W, but there are a couple of causes for concern.
The one thing I lack is a good AP from right around 1940, which would clarify this. I buy albums regularly but never got one with a circa early 1940 sig of him.

Originally Posted by bender07

Richard - FYI I forwarded a note to regarding the 41's potential authenticity.

Just to close the loop on the 41 Play Ball Williams, the card was obtained from Jim Stinson (another great dealer in the industry like Richard) and his opinion is that it's an authentic pre-military Williams. He has a vast experience with Williams' autograph so I feel comfortable.

[Splinte1941]

Originally Posted by bender07

Just to close the loop on the 41 Play Ball Williams, the card was obtained from Jim Stinson (another great dealer in the industry like Richard) and his opinion is that it's an authentic pre-military Williams. He has a vast experience with Williams' autograph so I feel comfortable.

Mark, I'd like to have Jim take a look at a signature of Ted from 1939 that's in dispute. Can you PM me with his info or how I can go about contacting him?

Thanks.

[mr2686]

Jake, PM sent.

[scmavl]

Woah, this thread is all over the place...

I am pretty sure JollyElm meant that his sigs interconnect like one example posted on this thread, WHICH IT DOES.



However, I think we are all pretty conclusive on the fact that, unfortunately for him, his Williams are poor fakes.

Please remember though that if any of you are like me, you knew VERY LITTLE about real/fake autos before you joined this forum. I couldn't tell a real Mantle from a $2 ebay fake when I joined. I have learned SO MUCH in the past two years. Let's give JollyElm the benefit of the doubt and help him out instead of crucifying him.

Eh?

[mr2686]

Does that mean we have to put away our torches and pitchforks?

[scmavl]

Originally Posted by mr2686

Does that mean we have to put away our torches and pitchforks?

No, just the machetes and slingblades.

[JimStinson]

Am New to the forum and Since my name was mentioned in this Thread I thought I would chime in. Regarding Williams and his autograph, His early signature (Pre Military Service) Bore almost no likeness to the Williams signature that most collectors would become used to seeing. The earliest Teddy Ballgame signatures I've owned have been a 1937 San Diego Padres team signed ball, which Williams actually wanted for his Museum when he lived in North Central Florida and I lived in Ocala. Later I owned and eventually sold three Ted Williams LONG handwritten letters written to one of his neighbors on Utah Street in San Diego in 1938 when Ted was playing for Minneapolis before his first major league at bat. And lastly a 1939 Boston Red Sox IN-PERSON team sheet signed by the entire team including Williams and signed only a month or so after his first major league at bat. All match perfectly with the 1941 signed card mentioned in this thread and are also consistent with any other PRE WW II Williams items I've seen. he spent four years in military service and it was upon his return that his signature began to evolve into the signature that most collectors are familiar with from his baseball card show days in the 1980's until his death. By his own admission he freely used a "Clubhouse" employee to sign his name on many team balls and through the mail autograph requests recieved via the club during baseball season but by most accounts this did not begin until the late 1940's. Which would account for some of the wide variations of signatures originating from the 1950's. After he retired from baseball and even as far back as the 1970's and 1980's when he was living in Islamorada in the Florida Keys he was signing and answering mail requests for his autograph as evidenced by the image I attached which I recieved through the mail around 1984 postmarked from Islamorada almost a year after I had requested his signature on the photo and sase I provided. If the autograph on this photo or ANY of his 1980's 1990's card show signed items and the pre WW II signatures of Teddy Ballgame were placed side by side there would be almost no resemblance what so ever. Yet they were signed by the same person.