Advice on purchasing multi-signed baseballs
 

Hi, I'm new to this part of the forum. I typically just buy cards, but I'm considering expanding my collection to pick up a few baseballs too. In particular, I'm looking for a Ruth signed ball at a reasonable price.

Single signed balls seem to be much more expensive, so I'd be satisfied with a multi-signed ball with Ruth as long as the signature is fairly clear.

Is there any advice that experienced collectors have on this? I've read some of the threads, which say that single signed is much more expensive than multi-signed, and that I should purchase a UV cube to store it in and avoid light when possible. One of the questions I have is regarding how do you know whether the ball is reasonably priced. For cards, there is VCP, so you know roughly what you should be paying for the card. There doesn't seem to be the same thing for balls, although there is SMR pricing for single signed. Any other advice on this would be great. Thanks!

(Oh, and I would only purchase a ball that is authenticated by JSA or PSA/DNA and not STAT, etc, so I know about that.)

Far from a signed ball expert . . .
 

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. . . but it amazes (chagrins) me as to how much bolder signatures appear in photographs than in real life. And I'm stumped by the application of numeric scales. 3, 4, and even 5's on a 10 point scale that are faint? I gladly pay more $$$ for a bolder signature, and are very leery of the quality of signatures based only on photographic images.

Yes- stick with Balls authenticated by Spence and/or PSA. I agree that a multi-signed ball is a more economical way to go, and there are many attractive options....

Yankees team ball
Braves team ball
HOF Induction Ball
Tour of Japan Ball
Misc. Stars signed ball

As far as the "reasonably priced" question, you simply have to educate yourself as much as possible...

Hunt's, Lelands, REA, and Legendary all have excellent auction archives. Type in the key word "Ruth", and it will pull up all the balls he has signed (both SS and multi-signed). Then you can see what similar pieces have sold for in past auctions. The economy is still floundering, so you should be able to get something nice at about 20% lower than 5 years ago.

You can also check ebay sales for more recent results (check actual completed auctions- not the dealers' ridiculous asking prices). This should give you an indication of value, and the quality to expect for the price you have in mind. The more you educate yourself, the better... and don't make an impulsive decision.

A final word of advice... don't opt for the cheapest one. Down the road, you'll regret it (and will ultimately want to upgrade). It's currently a "Buyer's Market" so use this time to acquire something nice... at the top end of what you think you can afford. Once the bug has bitten you (and you feel compelled to upgrade), it can be tough to unload your old item without losing money.

Hope this is helpful,
Mark

I would humbly add Heritage (www.HA.com) to the list of auction houses with sizeable results archives...

Absolutely... Heritage has a giant database and has sold dozens (probably hundreds) of Ruth Balls. The only glitch is that you must sign-in to see the prices realized (which was the main objective of the original poster).

So if he doesn't have an existing account with Heritage, he would have to create one. Sorry I left Heritage out... I'm sure I omitted a few others too!

Huggins and Scott usually sell a nice array of signed balls every auction as well, all certified by PSA or JSA. They sell both single signed and multiple signature balls!

Thanks and appreciate the very helpful advice. I do have an existing account with Heritage so I can view the archives there. Thanks!

Actually, I have one more quick question, which I probably already know the answer to. Are "enhanced" or traced signatures to be avoided? (I assume yes) For example, the latest Hunt auction has a Ruth ball with the description:

"All of the signatures appear to have been enhanced/traced in the period."

http://www.huntauctions.com/phone/im...m=78&lot_num=2

Sorry, more questions. Does it make any difference what ball is used? For example, the above auction uses a Spalding Official National League ball, and I've seen other different kinds of balls. Are there preferred ones that are better quality? Finally, I've noticed some balls are coated in shellac (sp?). I wouldn't purchase this kind of ball, but out of curiosity, why would people want to coat the ball like that back then? Thanks again.

Avoid traced or enhanced signatures. It is a huge compromise in quality, and eventually you will want something better/more authentic. Just my .02

Regarding shellacked balls... they did it back in the day, to preserve the signatures. I don't buy shellacked balls, and I hate them. Other collectors are not bothered by them.. it is an individual preferance. I have just seen too many examples where the shellac or varnish starts to peel (and often takes the autograph right off with it).

These balls always scare me, and the practice of shellacking no longer exists as far as I know. Back then, they thought they were doing something to better preserve the autograph. Depending on the shellack, some eventually turned dark brown, some just slightly yellowed, and some remained pretty clean.

I guess it either depended on the quality of the shellac and/or the way the ball was preserved throughout the years. Bottom line is that shellacked balls sell for about 25% less than their clean counterparts... far less, if the shellac is peeling and taking away the original surface of the ball.

Guess that's enough... perhaps others will chime in as well.

Hope this is helpful,
Mark

Thanks, Mark. Appreciate your comments.