OT/Help w/dizzy dean auto/wire photo/real?

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Posted By: robfouch

I hope this is OK to post this. I'm mostly a lurker but post on occasion. I was just wondering if there are any autograph experts out there who might give me an opinion on whether this a real Dizzy Dean auto on this old wire photo with Frankie Frisch. It's an AP photo dated from 1935 at the annual dinner of the New York Baseball Writers' Association. I got it mixed in with a lot of cards I bought a few years back. From the few Dizzy signatures I could find on eBay, it looks like it could be real, but I would appreciate any help someone could give me. And approximate value, too.
Thanks.
Rob

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Posted By: Mike

Deans signature varied somewhat over his life time. Not drastically, but did vary. He also employed a ghost writer for many years. The imposters are very difficult for us novices to catch. An expert can tell. The ghost writer had Dean's signiture down very well. It looks good, but you'll have to have it authenticated. The news photo is cool though. The paper attached to the back of the photo is called a slug. In any case nice photo...Worth maybe $150.00. he lived to be 63 years old, and signed a lot of items.

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Posted By: Anonymous

thanks very much, Mike. I wonder if it's worth the cost to get it authenticated. I don't collect autographs so I've never done it. What would be the charge for a photo like this?

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Posted By: Frank Wakefield

That signature matches up very well with my Dean 3x5. I think it is authentic. Is anything on the back of the photo?

Autograph authentication will come with a cost, authenticators will charge for the service.

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Posted By: Anonymous

Thanks, Frank. Yes, on the back is the "slug," as Mike referred to it. It's a piece of paper attached with the AP caption information. It's crumbling a bit.

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Posted By: davidcycleback

A Dean signed original AP photo would be worth some $$. His signature is neither rare nor plentiful, but there is good demand for it. If you feel the sig is real and wish to sell it, you can offer it on ebay with a PSA/DNA quick opinion which is relatively inexpensive.

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Posted By: Anonymous

Thanks for the advice, David. I appreciate it. I might just go that route. As cool as the photo is, I need some cash to pay for some t206 cards I just bought -- before my wife kills me.

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Posted By: davidcycleback

If the sig is real (I have no Dean sigs to make make my own comparison), that the autograph is on an original 1935 w/AP tag makes it more valuable than on a modern 8x10 reprint. So make sure to point out that the photo itself is vintage to 1935.

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Posted By: Anonymous

Well, at least the service was fast. But alas, the PSA/DNA opinion came back as "Likely not Genuine." I wonder why. They don't offer any reasons. So should I pull the photo from ebay? It stinks how they have you list it first, then tell you it's not genuine, which means you pay the listing fees. Maybe there was a way to do it before listing. Not sure.
anyway, i guess I should yank it. Or just add the "likely not genuine" and hope someone buys it simply for the appeal of the photo. I don't know.

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Posted By: davidcycleback

The photo itself is collectable. You can offer it as the photo, and note that the signature itself is not genuine.