Thoughts on this Ty Cobb signed ball

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Posted By: Mike Navarro

This ball has spiked my interest. However, it has a big league flaw. It's a signed Ty Cobb ball described as the following:



"Ty Cobb is remembered as much for his intimidating demeanor as his legendary batting accomplishments. In 1936, despite an enduring reputation as the meanest player in the game, Cobb became the leading vote-getter among the first group to be elected into the brand new Hall of Fame, beating even Ruth and Wagner. As much as Cobb enjoyed his reputation for being hard nosed, he remained an accommodating autograph signer. This OAL (Harridge) ball bears a superb example of his signature on a side panel in jet black ink (10/10) along with his date notation "5/9/53". The salutation, "Best Wishes" preceding Cobb's signature appears to have initially been written in green ink, and then written over in the same black pen by Cobb, as determined by third party authenticators who've inspected it. The ball's stampings have faded substantially. A heavy coat of shellac protects the surface. Apart from a minor blemish on the seam above the inscription and another affecting the "B" in "Best", the ball's creamy toned surface is fairly clean. LOAs from PSA/DNA and JSA."



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My questions are as follows:



What is the probability that only the salutation was traced over and not the whole signature? (I realize from the scan that you can tell that there's not green under the sig, but I guess what I'm trying to ask is what's the probability that the black writing was done at the initial time of signing, and was not years later by someone else AFTER the green had faded away?)

What would be a reasonable price to pay for the ball considering the flaw?

What percentage of value would you expect this ball to maintain compared to a non-flawed example?



Sorry for the large picture, but it's the best way to show the flaw.



thanks,



Mike

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Posted By: David Atkatz

Hi, Mike.

The green did not fade away--it is bright and bold. The chance that a green signature disappeared while the green salutation remained bright is essentially nil.

Cobb was known to favor green ink. As Cobb began to sign this ball he was probably asked by the signee to use his (the signee's) pen. That is a beautiful--and genuine--black Cobb signature.

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Posted By: Steve F

Mike, I understand your concern. The salutation is sloppy and very little care was taken with the trace-over, it also appears "Sharpie".

The underscore, especially beneath the 'y', shows a thinning of the ink and a slight scratch from the nib of the fountain pen. Beneath that spot is clean white leather.

I can't recall seeing any Peach signed balls with a salutation and infrequently on flats as well. I also remember 'Sincerely' or 'Regards' but not 'Best Wishes'. It's possible the green salutation was placed by the fan, shortly after the ball was auto'd. Good luck, Steve