Fascinating read. I like to joke about ordinary non-sport items that happen to have been used in connection with a ballgame just needing an official MLB Authentication hologram to make it an official piece of game-used memorabilia, for example this HDX Sprayer bottle, presumably used by a Citi Field grounds crew man (I didn't actually see it being used, but it's unlikely someone put it out there for decoration)...
...but the fact of the matter is that if MLB authentication didn't exist, I wouldn't own the baseball that was pitched to Todd Frazier just prior to the one he hit that prompted my legendary thumbs down.
(Frazier hit the home run on the 7th pitch of that at-bat. I have the ball that was used for pitches 4-6.)