Dizzy Dean auto good?

[T206Collector]

No on both.

[Michael B]

No comment on the authenticity of the Dean autograph. However, those who are saying 'ink bleed' are horribly incorrect (sounds nicer than you do not know what you are talking about). That is not a fountain pen signature, it is ball point pen. Too much ink on the ball when it was signed and he smudged it with his hand after signing it. Not uncommon with the older Bic pens and lower quality ballpoints. It is very common when the pen shaft holding the roller ball gets a crack allowing extra ink to come out while writing. I am sure I am not the only person who has taken a ball point pen, held it sideways and turned to to get the extra ink off the end before it leaves a glob on the paper. It still happens with Cross pen bold refills which I use for work. I have to wipe them with a tissue. The ink also takes longer to set. I use it to collect autographs on index cards. If you put another card right on top after getting a signature it leave a reverse ghost image on the back of the other card.

[ocjack]

So is the Dean good or bad? Or as with any autograph not seen signed, is it just someone's opinion every time?

[Case12]

Not to get into a discussion on whose the best TPA. Yesterday I had Beckett do a quick look and they say it is authentic. JSA does not provide this service (I called them). PSA does not do this service outside of ebay (tell me if I got that wrong?). I trust this forum more than TPAs. This one seems to be a razor thin call though.

[Duluth Eskimo]

Seems thin like 70’s Elvis to me. You just got a paid opinion that coincides with Casey and me. If you showed the item with a Beckett letter, people would be falling all over each other to say it’s authentic and a poor pen example as Michael has described and I agree with. Normally when you see garbage like the others, all are garbage. This is not the case. No pun intended.

[T206Collector]

I still don't like the Dean. Let me put it this way -- the signature is too slow and heavy/deliberate for me. If I were going to purchase a Dizzy Dean signature -- and there are nearly 200 available on eBay right now -- I'd want a quicker, easier, more natural flow.

[Case12]

Part of the appeal is the framing, which I worked down in the price.

So many different thoughts here. If I bought it, I think I would always have a question feeling in my gut when I looked at it hanging on my wall.

Or alternatively, I could feel like I got a great price for a nice presentation of a 'maybe not so good example'.

To be transparent, I approached the seller (not the other way around) and bargained this way down to $150 including shipping. The framing alone could be worth that. :-)

[jad22]

Originally Posted by Duluth Eskimo

Seems thin like 70’s Elvis to me. You just got a paid opinion that coincides with Casey and me. If you showed the item with a Beckett letter, people would be falling all over each other to say it’s authentic and a poor pen example as Michael has described and I agree with. Normally when you see garbage like the others, all are garbage. This is not the case. No pun intended.

Is a Beckett LOA eliciting that much confidence? I agree, Dean is good but not a great example. I am not a huge fan of his 70's signature. The token one on the HOF plaque/postcards.

[Case12]

Update: I bought it. Living life on the edge. :-)

I enjoyed this thread with your comments. An interesting discussion - what I like about collecting. :-)

Thank you everyone for your inputs. I am confident I will enjoy it when I see it on my wall.

Case12

[Duluth Eskimo]

Originally Posted by jad22

Is a Beckett LOA eliciting that much confidence? I agree, Dean is good but not a great example. I am not a huge fan of his 70's signature. The token one on the HOF plaque/postcards.

Not sure, but I have dealt with many of the guys there and feel they do a good job. They see thousands and of autographs and many people rely on their paid opinions when purchasing autographed items. Many people nowadays purchase the LOA no matter what the autograph looks like and my analogy refers to “if an item gets the blessing of PSA, JSA, or Beckett it’s good”