Opinions on adding missing signatures to old team signed items

[JMEnglish27]

Just wanted to survey the group on this.

What's everyone's opinion on taking, for example, an old team-signed ball that's missing one guy, and getting that missing guy's signature at a later date. Let's assume we're using the same color pen, it's not DECADES later where the player's signature has changed significantly due to old age, etc. Take any grading/authentication out of the equation too.

If I had, say, a 1987 A's ball without Canseco, and added him at a signing event...is that advised against? Incredibly damaging to the value?

[Huck]

Originally Posted by JMEnglish27

Just wanted to survey the group on this.

What's everyone's opinion on taking, for example, an old team-signed ball that's missing one guy, and getting that missing guy's signature at a later date. Let's assume we're using the same color pen, it's not DECADES later where the player's signature has changed significantly due to old age, etc. Take any grading/authentication out of the equation too.

If I had, say, a 1987 A's ball without Canseco, and added him at a signing event...is that advised against? Incredibly damaging to the value?

I would have no problem adding additional signatures. Quite a few collectors have special milestone balls (ex. 500 home run balls) signed by those players in the club. It would be a rare event to have every 500 home run hitter under the same roof at a signing event. On the football side, signed helmets have sigs added at different times. In my day of collecting signed balls, single signed balls ruled the day. Purportedly, multi-signed balls are harder to sell. Then again, in my day, signed cards purportedly ruined the value of the card, now such cards are all the rage. Add the signature.

[swarmee]

Agreed, you should be able to add the autograph to a team ball at a later time, presuming that it is hand-signed/witnessed and that the authentication, if any, is updated to include the new signatures.

[Vintagedeputy]

I guess it depends (to me) on when the ball was signed originally, but I don't like the practice.

[ejharrington]

I have no issue with it.

[Bigdaddy]

In this case, I'd go ahead and add Canseco. I'd say it's a yes on any team ball from the last 40 years, and on a case-by-case basis on balls older than that. You'd want the new sig to look as close to the older sigs as possible.

[mr2686]

No problem, but make sure it's the same color ink and hopefully the other sigs are dark and strong to match the new one. I hate when one or two are real dark and the rest are faded.

[bnorth]

I will be the oddball and say I am not a fan. I was about to sign up to another auction house to bid on what would have been an amazing item. I could see the main signature I cared about looked off. Not off like a forgery but off as in it looked to be a newer version of his autograph. The person who consigned it confirmed my original opinion. So to me I no longer wanted it because it had a newer auto on an older item.

It would really depend on the item also. A 87 As team ball I would add Jose.

[perezfan]

Originally Posted by bnorth

I will be the oddball and say I am not a fan. I was about to sign up to another auction house to bid on what would have been an amazing item. I could see the main signature I cared about looked off. Not off like a forgery but off as in it looked to be a newer version of his autograph. The person who consigned it confirmed my original opinion. So to me I no longer wanted it because it had a newer auto on an older item.

It would really depend on the item also. A 87 As team ball I would add Jose.

Not so oddball.... I completely agree.

I like to leave vintage things as they are, and it would bother me to have newly signed autos on a vintage ball. To me, they always stand out in an intrusive way.... brighter ink, bolder auto, slightly different colored ink, newer "style" of autograph, etc.

I like the uniformity of naturally aged baseballs and vintage ink, and I would not corrupt a vintage signed ball, as it would bother me every time I looked at it. Just my personal preference (since the question was asked), and not intended to influence the OP either way.

[JMEnglish27]

Thanks all!

[packs]

Today it would be pretty difficult for somebody to get something like a team signed baseball in a single event. And as mentioned, it is impossible to collect something like a baseball signed by every member of the 500 home run club without constantly adding signatures as time passes.

I think the only circumstance I would advise against getting a signature long after the fact would be if you wanted something like a Mickey Mantle and Mike Trout signed baseball.