Anyone collect signed baseballs!
 

If so let’s see some!

I collect mainly single signed baseballs. Mostly HOF, but also individual members of the 1955 Dodgers. Here are some random balls. Duke was the first I got when I got serious about collecting. I waited in line for 3 hours to get Mick but it was worth it. The last is a semi-light Cool Papa Bell. The pen used was not ideal, but fortunately due to good handling and storage practices, it has not faded any further.

mr2686, those balls are awesome. especially cool papa bell. congrats! I only have a few, but here they are. Ken Griffey Jr, Willie Mays (signed in person), Boggs (one signed in person at the National).

Is the Griffey on an All Star baseball?

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I've started collecting single signed baseballs that are on commemorative baseballs. It adds a little spice to the showcase. Of all the baseballs pictured, the only one with doubts that I have about authenticity is the Ripken. Bought it for the price and baseball rather than being assured that it was real. Others are Votto, Eugenio Suarez (beautiful sig!), Aroldis Chapman, and Luis Castillo (ugly sig).https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...7069473f7b.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...89139ecea4.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...ab5bbd723e.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...f4bc74e0ea.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...eb3f7db967.jpg

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Yes, 1995, played in Arlington, only 4.5 hours from my house. I got it from a local collector. I will have to ask him how he acquired it. I want to say he went to the game, but I will try to find out.

I used to collect signed baseballs. Initially, I concentrated on HOFs, but quickly expanded to include award winners (MVP, CY, ROY) and notable feats (Vandermeer). Due to the fact that signatures can fade, bleed and balls can tone, are the reasons why I stopped getting baseballs signed.

I also started with HOFers, then guys with cool stories. Here are a few of my favorites. All with very interesting stories!!

Some of my favorites:

Mike Trout career hit 410:

https://live.staticflickr.com/4640/2...3ecc83f41b.jpg

Clemente rookie era sig:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ac4877d1c5.jpg

Core Four:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d13c307585.jpg

I think I see The Natural. Very interesting.

Simmons is the negro leaguer who lived to be over 110 correct?

Yes, nicely done!

That clemente is sweet!!! Congrats!

Cal Ripken Jr. gave me this ball for my birthday when I turned 50 a few years ago:

https://i.imgur.com/fSkkNda.jpg

FYI the Ripken is 100% legit

I collect signed baseballs in a couple of areas of collecting, but particularly related to my Integration collection.

Here are 3 of my most significant ones:

- 1946 Montreal Royals team signed baseball (Jackie Minor League team signed ball)
- 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers team signed baseball (Jackie rookie season team signed ball)
- Jackie Robinson Negro League signed baseball (Appears to be signed by players who were all part of the 1953 Jackie Robinson All-Stars Tour)

Good to know. The ball was $40, so I took a chance.

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Fantastic!

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Sold most of my signed baseball years ago, but kept these three. All obtained in person, albeit the Autry ball late in his life when he happened to visit Angel Stadium and only signed a few before he was whisked away. But he was a gentleman to us fans.

Wow! Very impressive guys!

In regards to the comment about fading autographs, I read on another Collecting site That you can spray the baseball (signature) with krylon spray and then they will keep the signature from fading as it will lock in the signature so you can display them without worrying about fading. Has anyone heard about that or recommend that?

noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!

And please tell me why! So I know why not to spray my balls!

People used to shellac their baseballs, like a long time ago. It turns the baseball an ugly color. And it has completely gone out of style. You will ruin any value the ball has in today's market. It's just.... don't.

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The Singing Cowboy! Nice.

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Tim
Thank you! I never knew that. But for one that collects signed baseballs, what are the alternatives? I ask because even if kept in the dark over time they will still fade. It seems all baseballs fade Over time regardless. So I was thinking spraying them would save the autograph from fading.

Not only will you ruin the ball, but there's a good chance the coating will age badly, crack and flake taking off the auto with it. The only things you need to do are: Keep out of direct sunlight (even if you have UV cubes), and store them in the dark when not on display. Also, don't handle your balls...err, you know what I mean. Use gloves and don't get finger prints on them because the oils will make the toning you see on many balls.

I have a few autographed baseballs in my custom made showcase that my wife had made for me. Notice the bats on the corners of the showcase. Sorry for the glare. There's so much glass I couldn't get a good angle for the photo. Could someone rotate this photo for me?

Here ya go:

That's a really cool case, and you obviously have a really cool wife for having that made for you.

I have well over a hundred HOFers on Baseballs and it is my prefer medium for collecting modern players. That said, I try to avoid collecting HOFers before my lifetime on baseballs. Very easy to fade/chip.....only baseball I still have that was signed before I was born is one with Urban Shocker on it.

https://i184.photobucket.com/albums/...pslt75tgiq.jpg

Very very cool case! But aren’t you afraid the autographs would fade over time by displaying them like that?

"Very very cool case! But aren’t you afraid the autographs would fade over time by displaying them like that"

No. The showcase is in the basement with no windows so there is no sunlight or direct light on them except when I am down there.

Oh cool. I always worried That any light on them would cause fading. I just read on this site that museum glass is the best protection for fading so I will probably buy some museum glass ball holders to see how That works.

There is no perfect answer. I have around 200 signed baseballs. Some stored in boxes in the closet, others in a bright sunny room. I had a personalized Ryne Sandberg I got in 2001 that I stored in the dark box in the closet and the ink completely disappeared. UV protection is hit or miss. For sure, direct sunlight is more likely to cause problems. Otherwise I just display them when I feel like it. Sorta like a rotation. I collect for fun, so any lost value is only personal....I do miss my Ryne Sandberg ball. He is a nice guy. I bought one off eBay to replace it. It's not the same, but it is a token of remembrance :--)

Good points. Sometimes you're just screwed even before you display the ball in the light. Some baseballs just don't accept the ink as well as others, and some pens are just a recipe for a quick fade. I had a McCovey that faded very quickly, but that one was rare. Most show promoters these days know what pens to provide, and if you bring your own baseball you can at least control how much it's been handled before and after it's signed.

Autographed ball collection
 

Here are a few of my favorite autographed balls and a look at how I display some of them.
As previously mentioned by OP on this thread, avoiding direct sunlight and UV light at all cost is always a solid idea, IMHO

The 1st photo is of my custom ball wall that I created. It holds over 120 balls, which is just the tip of the iceberg really. LOL

1938 signed Johnny Vander Meer ball. This ball was signed less than 2 weeks after his ML record back-to-back no-hitters.

Tom Cheney and Ron Necciai signed balls. Cheney is the only man to strike out 21 batters in a ML game (15 innings). Neccai actually struck out 27 batters in a minor league no-hitter while pitching for Bristol in the Appalachian League.

Sadaharu Oh single signed ball. Oh hit more career HR's in Japan than either Hammerin' Hank or Barry Bonds

Circa 1969 single signed ONL Mets Nolan Ryan ball, which is a definite rarity...

Signed and inscribed game used ball from Harvey Haddix's 12 inning perfect game in 1959. Haddix lost the game in the 13th inning & some call this the greatest game ever pitched.

There are guys on another trading site that said they have sprayed their balls for decades and that the krylon seals the autograph in. The only other option is to collect signed balls and watch them fade over the years. I’m starting to think the krylon spray might be worth the gamble.

If you're gonna do it, coat the entire ball. It looks stupid when people only coat the pen ink. And try with a low end signature first! There are plenty of examples on google images of baseballs with changed color due to shellac while the uncoated baseball remains a much lighter color.

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Deleted.

Here is an example of how shellac can discolor a ball over time.

Is it safe to say that even with all of the possible fading issues signed baseballs Are still the most popular collecting medium out there? It seems tons and tons of people still collect them. If you go to spring training all you see are people with baseballs to get autographed! So it still seems very popular to collect baseballs???

When it comes to storing baseballs do You recommend putting them in plastic zip loc bags and without the tissue baseballs comes in?

Also when it comes to HOF signed baseballs is there any particular reason except for added value to get the HOF inscription on them? I think maybe that without the HOF inscription it allows for a larger signature on the ball? Thanks

I'm personally not into inscriptions. I just like the name. I'm not sure what all the craze is about inscriptions. More than one starts to look ugly.

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Sandberg is awesome. I named my son after him. My son is stuck in the Philippines now as I fight with the ex to get him to go to school in the US. I was there at the Tristar show in Houston in early February and he personalised a ball to my son. Said “To Ryne. Come to America.” I’ll try and post a pic. He’s always been a class act.

I would not put them in plastic zip loc bags, I would have concerns about oils and acids from the bag leaching into the ball leather long term as well as limiting the air flow around the ball, any added moisture that could be present in the leather of the ball would have no where to go.

I store my collection in acid free document boxes and wrap some in acid-free tissue paper.

https://www.universityproducts.com/d...ament-box.html

The 3" dimension of those ornament boxes is the perfect size for baseballs and they make for a slick way to open the box to look through your collection when you want.

I have found that you either have a good baseball or you don't. MLB balls are generally seen as being safe baseballs, but I've seen a ton of rough Brown balls that have discolored a lot over time. I've seen some other Selig balls with the same spotting. I don't think there is any way to keep it from happening. It's either inevitable or not.

In general, always use an official MLB ball, keep the ball out of the sun and use a blue pen.

Agreed!

Let’s see some more baseballs!

Here's my collection of SS HOF baseballs