Opinions on this Babe Ruth auto

[bigtrain]

I have had this ball in my collection for about 20 years.
It has never been reviewed by any third party authenticator.
It is not for sale. I am asking for opinions as to authenticity because
I value the opinions of many of you on the board.
There is glare in the photo because the ball is heavily shellacked.
So... Good or Bad?

[Econteachert205]

Form and ball look good, would like to hear from others about the ink.

[w7imel]

Any background on where the signature was obtained? Do you have doubts about the authenticity of the ball? Me personally I think if I had a ball that looked this nice that I had no doubts about I would have already sent to PSA or JSA to be looked at. Just my opinion on it. If authentic this would be a high dollar ball at an auction.

[Pickles]

Looks very similar to one I recently bought with a COA from both PSA and JSA (There is a thread with a link, you can see for yourself)

Letter by letter is a very good match, and the crossover of the teardrop on the R is also uvery similar

Only observation: On mine, the "bottom of the Ruth can be traced with a straight line and all4 letter bottoms align. On yours there appears to be a "step" so I would want to look into that detail.

So all in all it appears to be real and in excellent shape

Compare to this one (not as good a shape)

http://sports.ha.com/c/lot-image.zx?...=0&id=11851503

[w7imel]

Bernie go out and look at the authentic examples of ruth and you will see alot of exampliers that have a similar up and down to the ruth part of the signature. This ruth check has both if you notice.

[David Atkatz]

Bernie, let me see if I've gotten this straight.

You have absolutely no experience with autographs in general, and Babe Ruth's autograph in particular.

You bought a 1929 Yankees ball from Heritage Auctions, with a Babe Ruth signature which had been "authenticated" by both PSA and JSA.

Still, you wanted further opinions from members here.

And now, mere days later, you feel confident enough in your new-found knowledge to offer your own opinion on a Ruth's authenticity.

Have I missed anything?

[w7imel]

Nope Dave you pretty much hit the ball out of the park! And Bernie in case you haven't met David he is really good source of Ruth autograph info and has helped me alot in my pursuit of Ruth signature Knowledge.

[Pickles]

Well, I believe you have missed a few things

For starters, I never said I had no experience, as I do have a NYY HOF collection of autographs which I have compiled over the years. I said I was new to the site, and wanted to get opinions. Being new and being inexperienced are not equivalent, so whatever assumptions you make, are yours to keep, but are not quite correct. I do not consider myself a Ruth expert, but I can compare to something I have studied (which is what I did) and have spent some time researching. My wanting further opinions is primarily a mathematical exercise on my part to establish a high confidence level on authenticity.
Why should I not feel confident to offer my own opinion? It is my opinion, and I am not representing myself as an expert. I observed a difference in the straight vs step on teh "Ruth" part, which is correct, and I stated I needed to look more into it, which w7imel has provided an example.
I am also a practicing engineer with graduate degrees and 34+ years experience in my field, considered a Subject Matter Expert in my industry. It does not make me a Ruth expert, but it helps me state what I see and observe. I am willing to listed to other opinions and discuss them, but I will not be "intimidated" even if you are the living incarnation of Mr Ruth

[Enfuego]

I would send for authentication, not for the purpose of selling, but for confirmation/validation of its authenticity.


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[Runscott]

As long as you can deal with some of your forum decorum rules being ignored. Each member feels like they are the one who knows what correct behavior is. But we do have rules and moderators, so no need to tell us.

[Runscott]

Also, it really does not "remain to be seen" with regard to the forum's abilities. This is a very old forum in internet time - what you can learn from it is not only proven, but we also have a search function.

[Pickles]

Originally Posted by Runscott

Also, it really does not "remain to be seen" with regard to the forum's abilities. This is a very old forum in internet time - what you can learn from it is not only proven, but we also have a search function.

I believed I credited the forum for actuals, the abilities are there. Not challenging the past, in fact, that's why I decided to join. Would like to benefit in the future. If it comes down to PSA/JSA becoming the final authority, and, we know good forgerers can get past them, then the hobby would be permanently tainted......