Looking for some autograph knowledg - Babe Ruth

[Westsiders]

No gotcha post here...just looking for some education. Below is a Babe Ruth and Ford Frick signed document, and the Ruth got a "gem mint 10" from PSA/DNA.

My question is this; Assuming that both autographs were scribed in relatively the same time frame, how is the Frick substantially faded, while the Ruth appears absolutely pristine (almost looks too good to be true).

http://dyn2.heritagestatic.com/lf?se...oduct.chain%5D

[ATP]

Authenticity aside, the Frick autograph, while not nearly as bold, isn't really faded in my opinion. He appears to have a somewhat light hand when signing. Also, the ink he signed with appears to be of a lighter variety. The Ruth signature is thick, heavy handed, and a darker ink which makes it stand out much much more.

[Westsiders]

Originally Posted by ATP

Authenticity aside, the Frick autograph, while not nearly as bold, isn't really faded in my opinion. He appears to have a somewhat light hand when signing. Also, the ink he signed with appears to be of a lighter variety. The Ruth signature is thick, heavy handed, and a darker ink which makes it stand out much much more.

Thanks for the insight Jeff, and what you said makes sense. In regards to "authenticity aside"...did you see something concerning about the auto itself? Thanks.

[GoldenAge50s]

I'm trying to figure out why Babe is even on that letter? Has nothing to do w/ the content at all.

[Leon]

That Ruth is either a "10" or too good to be true, and I would always lean to the latter.....If it's real it's phenomenal.

[Westsiders]

Originally Posted by Leon

That Ruth is either a "10" or too good to be true, and I would always lean to the latter.....If it's real it's phenomenal.

That's what I was thinking. One of the best I've seen. While I'm not an expert, it looks awfully good to me (again...a bit too good). And heard this one may be coming to market.

[Westsiders]

And here's another Ruth that puzzle's me a little.

It's a signed Ruth on a 1939 1st day Hof issue post card.
The auto looks good to me, but can't figure out why Ruth would address it to himself (at his home residence).

Can anyone shed some light on this one?

http://www.robertedwardauctions.com/.../2008/900.html

[Maddog]

It actually looks like the card was first postmarked and then addressed?
The "signature" seems to be on top of the Cooperstown postmark.

[Westsiders]

Originally Posted by Maddog

It actually looks like the card was first postmarked and then addressed?
The "signature" seems to be on top of the Cooperstown postmark.

I believe you're correct. The signature is on top of the postmark. And why would he send this to himself? Other than that, the auto itself looks pretty good. I guess that's what makes this industry so difficult.

Anybody else have opinions on this one?

[steve B]

In the 30's first day covers were more special than they are now.

I don't recall the exact date when it changed, but typically the first day cover could only be had at the issuing city or Washington DC. No grace period, no mail order.
And they were typically collected addressed. The most common thing was to buy a stamp add it to an envelope addressed to your home and hand it to the clerk. (They had extra clerks to handle the volume.) Some clerks wouldn't accept unaddressed envelopes. (It may have been against the rules at some time, again I can't recall the dates) Dealers would process several hundred to sell to people who couldn't make it to the ceremony. And those were usually stamped addresses or return address stickers.

By 1934 cachets- pictorial stuff usually on the left side of the envelope- became more common, but most were still addressed.

Unaddressed ones didn't become common until about 1950.

The baseball centennial stamp was average popularity, there were 398,199 first day covers. All from Cooperstown.


A few people would buy stamps and mail envelopes from other cities, but that wasn't all that common unless there was a nearby town with some connection to the subject. Like Lexington and Concord Ma.

So seeing a first day cover addressed to anyone at his home address wouldn't be odd except for it being Babe Ruth.

It's kind of neat that he'd have gotten a stamp as a souvenir. I wonder of he collected at all, and whether any of the other inductees got covers too.


Steve B