You may be correct, Rhys, about the number of balls Ruth may have signed in the 1940s, but I must disagree with your contention that these autographs were regarded as particularly valuable then. Even up to the early 1960s--when I began collecting--widows were still giving away signed checks--Ruth, Cobb, Mathewson... the list goes on. In 1966 I was given a signed and inscribed Gehrig photo by a relative of the original recipient. These autographs held only sentimental value in those days. I can only imagine the situation in the 1940s!
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