Opinion: Autographs on NL ball or AL ball

[koufax1fan]

Hello:
Can you tell me if having an autograph on a Bud Selig Major League baseball is of lesser value than having it on an official NL or AL baseball. I wanted to make sure before purchasing a ball... Thanks for your help..
Phil

[Big Dave]

What ever league the player is in is the preference of collectors and a more valuable ball.

[shelly]

If it is a retired player and you get get a Coleman or Budig ball cheap I would use those. If he is still playing it does not seem to make a difference.

[dapro]

most of my older balls are bobby brown balls.

[shelly]

Originally Posted by dapro

most of my older balls are bobby brown balls.

Bobbie Brown ball cost ove$75 for a new one.

[HOF Auto Rookies]

Originally Posted by shelly

Bobbie Brown ball cost ove$75 for a new one.

Those are some high quality and expensive balls

[thecatspajamas]

The cache with using a specific ball type for a particular player's autograph is to get one they would have played with when they were active. It's a nice perk to some collectors, but I haven't seen many instances where the buyer will pay a significant premium for a modern signature on the correct vintage ball. If it's a vintage signature on a vintage ball it will go for more, but that's not what you're asking about.

Not knowing who you're looking to have sign your ball, if he didn't start playing until 2000 or later, it doesn't even make sense to seek out an ONL or OAL ball that he never would have handled in a game. I've also heard of guys seeking out nice-looking vintage balls to get an old-time player's modern signature on, where the value of the unsigned ball is more than its value with the player's signature added, which seems a shame to me.

Bottom line, from my perspective, is if you're going to go the ONL or OAL route, go with a league and era-correct ball. Otherwise, just getting a new OML ball for the signing isn't going to make a significant difference in price.

[Big Dave]

You can buy Bobby Brown balls for 20 or less on eBay....

[shelly]

+1 I was just saying if you could get a ball cheap and they played during that time I would rather have an nl or al ball.