1948 Birmingham Black Barons Signed Ball - Willie Mays

[NiceDocter]

https://robertedwardauctions.com/auc...h-willie-mays/

This is a link to a prior ball from 1950 sold for about $5000 in 2012. It was also including a team signed photograph..... the signatures on the ball and photo are far stronger than on yours but yours is older and a cool way that Mays signed. Its a guessing game on value.... its certainly worth (to me at least ) as much as the last one above sold for ( 1/3 to 1/2 the $5036) and maybe more.... who knows. Depends on how much you put on the photo vs the ball. Unless it goes to auction you cant be sure. One thing is certain.... its a heck of a great sock drawer find!!!! Keep it out of direct sunlight and even in a dark drawer or box..... maybe that sock drawer! Light can fade signatures really quickly as can heat.

[doug.goodman]

Here are the photos :

[ooo-ribay]

Quite a piece of history!

[Hankphenom]

Wow!

[Scott Garner]

That's pretty wild. Great ball!

[rand1com]

Very nice item.

Auction is the only way to find out the value. Mays was only 17 years old in 1948 so this would be likely one of the earliest signatures on a baseball for him.

Could go really high if two collectors with deep pockets have to have it.

Unfortunately, if only one with deep pockets has to have it, it could go for less than the referenced 1950 one from 2012.

[Hankphenom]

I'm thinking six figures on this one.