...when you could still read their name

[sylbry]

The story as told to me is that around 1988 Gary found religion, changed his hard attitude/partying ways, and changed his signature as well. If you ask him to sign with his old signature he will. Or at least he did a few years back.

Like Schmidt, Kirby Puckett's signature became better looking with time as well.

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by sylbry

The story as told to me is that around 1988 Gary found religion, changed his hard attitude/partying ways, and changed his signature as well. If you ask him to sign with his old signature he will. Or at least he did a few years back.

Like Schmidt, Kirby Puckett's signature became better looking with time as well.

What got me to thinking about this was the 1981 Negro Leagues reunion ball in the current Huggins & Scott auction. Willie Mays actually signed his name upside-down, and mostly on top of another signature. Really ridiculous. I compared the Mays signature to his older ones from the '60s, and to his current ones. Mays went from signing readably to signing barely-recognizably, to signing incredibly mediocre.

I always have my eyes open for team-signed balls from pre-1970 teams that I was interested in, and every now and then I'll see one where players from a '60s team, signed a ball more recently. Boy is there a world of difference. I wouldn't own a ball where I couldn't read the majority of the signatures.

[Michael B]

I have a few examples in my database where the signature was the same over a 25-30 year period and others that are so different that collectors would think they were forgeries. Here is one example: Mark Spitz. The first one was signed in 1969, possible in person at the University of Indiana. The second one is the more familiar signature. Signed 1996 at a Sears in Framingham, MA.

[shelly]

There is pride and there is lazy. In todays world it seems to be just lazy.

[johnmh71]

Does anyone find that their signature is similar to a parent or sibling? I have the same first name as my father, and we sign it almost identical. The first time he watched me do it he thought I was trying to mimic him and he got a little upset. I had to assure him it was natural.

[w7imel]

my signature is identical to my fathers as well

[MooseDog]

Originally Posted by w7imel

my signature is identical to my fathers as well

Too lazy to pull out examples but Cal Ripken Jr, clearly either copied or was heavily influenced by his dad's signature.