Looking for help with values on autographs from a 1950's scrapbook
 

I don't actively collect autos and have no idea on prices. I have done a little research on some of these but the prices seem to vary a lot depending on the item and the auto's.

An older friend has this scrapbook from his childhood and he is trying to mgive it to me but I told him I think it's probably too valuable to be giving away.


Here are some of the items in it. He acquired all of them through the mail or in person.

Thanks for any help in advance.

Of the lot the Speaker items are the nicest. The Cy Young autographed 3 x 5 may be the autograph of Cy Young the multisport athlete from Washington and Lee University not the HOF baseball player. The Lajoie and Mack are also nice but have some condition issues. I agree the lot is too valuable to give away.

Lol tough being a Friend sometimes. Someone is going to chop rhat book up and sell the Autographs for serious dollars. A good batch are on index cards mounted with corner hinges. They should come out easy enough and comps for signed index cards are available. Pictures are better. Any pages signed with multiple signatures are tough to price but these all look like singles. So a little research and maybe hand it off to Love of the game or another auction house that can show it some love and break it up and get your friend maximum payout.
Just my opinion

Jonathan

Seeing autos in person is always better, though you did provide some nice pictures of the signatures and great names. The pictures you attached are clear enough and present well to research and value based on what you provided. If your friend is wondering what value these might bring or maybe you would like to know as well, try getting together to talk. Would be best to get COAs for all of these and then decide, maybe he could still keep a few if he has interest, help him and see what happens.

Be the friend first and do some research for him - Good Luck!

We are always here to help too!

Jimmy

Thanks for the help guys. Jimmy he's in his 80's and doesn't have any interest
in keeping the album and was trying to give it to me but I told him I was going to get an idea on the value. I'm going to tell him what I initially thought that he's better off selling it. I did do some research first but the Mantle photo's have a wide range in prices.

Patrick

The Mantle may be a pre-print. If not, it dates to the late 50's which makes it much better than his card show version which he signed a ton of. The others look good except for possibly the Cy Young index card. The grouping obviously has some good value

Thanks Randy. The Mantle photo is from the 50's he's moving with his wife
to a single level home and the album was in the attic for 60 years.

Here's a couple more photo's.

Attachment 482585

Attachment 482586

Attachment 482587

Is the Mickey Mantle postcard sized? If so, its likely the 1958 Holiday Inn issue with a facsimile autograph. Or if its larger its likely the same image used.

The Mantle is the “proof” version of the Holiday Inn premium photo. It is a pre-printed signature. Haven’t been following the market but PSA doesn’t grade that version and so I’m not sure it has a ton of value ($50?).

Thanks for the help everyone. I have found out the Mantle auto is preprinted and that the single Cy young isn't his signature. I did ask my friend again about the Young and he said he got it through the mail around 1950.

Here are a few more signed items in the book.

Attachment 483037

Attachment 483038

Attachment 483039

Attachment 483040

Unfortunately, the Branch Rickey is not authentic.

Unfortunately, the Branch Rickey is not authentic. Last name is spelled without the "e" and it is not close to any authentic exemplar.

Does the gentleman recall how he got the Mantle? I’d be really curious if he recalls exactly how he got it. One of the experts in the field identifies it as I do, but there are such a large quantity in the market that I’m not so certain the identify as a proof is the most accurate. It seems like most of his “autos” were by mail, so that peeks my interest. Please tell him not to be too disappointed it’s preprinted as it still is valuable.

I asked him about the Mantle Chris but he didn't remember where he got it. He has a bunch of other auto's that he got through the mail besides the ones in this
book but he found the book while they are preparing to move.

I remember him showing me a piece a couple of years ago that had all the 1948 Cleveland players auto's on it. He had put tape over all the signatures
like this Williams postcard he gave me a few years ago.

Attachment 483157

Attachment 483158

When I take the book back to him I'll ask him again but I don't think he will remember. Does anyone know if they sold the Mantles at the HOF? We are
less than 2hrs from Cooperstown and that's probably where he got some items signed including the multi signed item.

Auto’s
 

This piece is really great, and I think all the signatures — including this Cy Young — to be authentic. I’d pay $1,500 for that. If the Lajoie and Young could be separated without cutting the other player I’d be at $2,000.

I’ve been in the market for Cy Young, Nap Lajoie and Tris Speaker cuts this year. I got Speaker in Huggins & Scott a few months ago for $800.

I would pay $1,000-$1,250 for the full name Lajoie. There is a nice Lajoie on eBay for $1,500, but it’s been there awhile and I feel it is priced a tad too high.

An authentic Cy is north of $1,500 as well. A nice one is over $2,000.

these are great. keep us updated if they'll go on auction somewhere, the lajoie/cy young would make a great custom cut/combo card.

I've had several people ask me about items in the book so instead of sending a bunch of PM's I wanted to let everyone know that I still haven't met with the owner. I called him a couple of times to let him know about offers but he doesn't seem to be in a hurry to meet or even get the book back.

I just wanted to give everyone who helped out with and inquired about the items in the book an update.

I met with the owners stepson today who has also been a good friend of mine since H.S.

His stepson noticed something that I hadn't, that the speaker signed hall of fame card has a postmark on it.

[IMG]https://photos.imageevent.com/patric...ale/img026.jpg[/IMG]

I took pictures and scanned a few of the lose items for this thread but I didn't handle much after that, but when he noticed the postmark I removed the speaker to look at the back and it revealed when it was mailed.
[IMG]https://photos.imageevent.com/patric...ale/img027.jpg[/IMG]

The Cy Young index card has baffled me from the beginning so after discovering the speaker I removed the Cy Young HOF postcard and what a pleasant surprise.

[IMG]https://photos.imageevent.com/patric...ale/img028.jpg[/IMG]

https://photos.imageevent.com/patric...rge/img029.jpg

I also removed the Branch Rickey signed index card because I thought that would have been signed by him but it wasn't so that's still a mystery.

Nice Speaker plaque.

That IS a nice surprise on the back of the Young! I'd really like that signed Luke Easter poster.

It's not a poster the Easter and the Musial were cut out of a magazine or something and he mounted them on cardboard and covered them with plastic wrap or something. He's in his 80's so he was around 12-13 when he made this scrapbook.

Here's the back of the Easter I'm not sure but I don't think he taped or glued it I think the plastic is what's holding it in place.
https://photos.imageevent.com/patric...rge/img041.jpg

A little OT but when he was first trying to give me this scrapbook he gave me this photo of an American Legion baseball team that both he and my farther are in. I'm guessing but I think this was 4-6 years after he made the scrapbook. Anything that's dated in the scrapbook was 1950 and judging by my father I think this photo is around 1955.
Attachment 485592

Ha! And he was practicing his Chief Wahoo art on the back! Priceless... unless he wants to name a price for me. ;)