Baseball Autograph Collecting Tips

A true baseball autograph fan will have an eager approach to gaining signatures. For the older, valuable autographs, like Lou Gehrig, Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth, you will need to look at purchasing them from a reputable source. But if you’re into the current stars as well, like Derek Jeter and Albert Pujols, this can involve a hunt for the players at games and official signings.

Hall of Fame baseball stars whose tremendous careers are over are among the most popular of baseball autographs, but there are plenty of excellent players who have not yet been inducted into the Hall of Fame, and these tend to be a bit easier to obtain. Whatever autographs you seek, you need to find a reputable person or company to make sure your autographs are authentic. Much money has been lost on autographs that looked genuine, but were not.

You can find a baseball autograph in older autograph books, those being the books carried by people who “hounded” players for their signatures after the games. These books can be full of authentic autographs, since that was the goal of the books’ owners. The original hounds were often relentless, pushing their books into the faces of baseball players, and they often got their autographs that way.

Have a recognized sports autograph dealer check your baseball autograph collection to make sure that all the autographs are genuine.

Some wily sellers will acquire an old autograph book and then add old pages with forged names on them, to command a higher price. A recognized and reputable dealer can check each one to make sure that they are all genuine.

If you want to get a baseball autograph at a game, it can make your life as a fan even more enjoyable. Be sure you know each player’s name, if you want to try to snag a quick autograph. They know you’ll appreciate it more if you’re a dedicated fan who knows the team.

Keep a pen with you at baseball games. Players certainly don’t have pens with them when they are going in or out of the locker room. And be courteous. Treat the players like people, not like objects. Say please and thank you.

If you have a program for the game you are attending, that’s a great place to have players sign. A roster sheet will also work. You’re probably only collecting as a fan now, but if you wish to sell the autographs somewhere down the road, it looks better to have the signature on something that is directly related to the game.

Front row seats are a great place to get a baseball autograph, but that isn’t always possible. If there are players nearby who don’t need to be concentrating at a certain time, you can speak to them. Don’t harass them, though. The way that most autograph hounds get their signings is at the players’ entrance and exit. When they leave the park after the game, they are more relaxed and it’s easier to get a signature. They have more time when the game is done, too, since they aren’t in a hurry to get back to the dugout.

You can also attend autograph signings, especially if the team is in the playoffs or the player has a book he is promoting. These are excellent ways to get autographs, since that is specifically why the players are there. Baseball autograph collecting makes the game even more enjoyable for true fans.

Signed Team Baseballs Capture Slice of History

Signed team baseballs offer a snapshot of a given team at a precise moment in time.

Stars, semi-stars, and less heralded players are all represented equally. In fact, the autographs of many commons may be harder to come by individually than many stars. While the accomplishments of a team in a given season can be dubious like the 1988 Baltimore Orioles or glorious like a World Series Champion, baseballs autographed by a team represents those accomplishments equally.

Usually, the absence of a signature by a player can help define when a ball was signed due to the date of the transaction either by trade or free agency. Of course, the more stars or Hall of Famers on a team signed ball will result in a greater value and a higher price.

Finding an authentic team signed baseball in great condition can be a bit of a challenge, especially older balls. Because of the nature of the item, if all team members attempt to sign the ball right after one another smudges and smears were prone to happen. These defects not only affect the value of the ball, but may also make authentication more difficult.

Vintage signed items present a unique challenge. Depending on the price of the ball in question, a buyer may seek to have a third party authentication service certify the team signed baseball prior to completing purchase. However, a higher valued ball, for example the 1927 Yankees, will likely already have the necessary documentation proving its authenticity. One guideline however, a certificate of authenticity is only as good as the company providing it. Collectors should recognize the name, and perform some research before spending a lot of cash.

Team signed baseballs are a great way to recall a World Series year, a record year for wins, or other team accomplishment. Because collectors have favorite teams and favorite players, this type of collectible benefits both desires. Sometimes just reading the names (though handwriting is sometimes questionable) can help a collector recall each individual player and the ups and downs of a baseball campaign. The nostalgia can be somewhat overwhelming ten years down the road, as these great snapshots of history capture every player that was on the team at that specific moment.

Autographed Ted Williams Memorabilia

by Chris Houston

One of the most coveted baseball keepsakes–even for members of the current generation–is autographed Ted Williams memorabilia.

My Dad used to tell me that Williams was the greatest player he ever saw.  It didn’t seem to be any myth coming out of his mouth when he spoke these truisms.

Word of Ted Williams and his ability to hit just about any pitch spread very quickly well before the age of computers and social media.  He was one of those precious few players who was considered a legend while he was playing.  Williams didn’t seem to need any PR machine to become one of the greatest  players of all time.  Red Sox fans loved him beyond compare. and Williams’ long retirement allowed for him to corroborate many of the stories whispered among fans for years.

That’s why autographed Ted Williams memorabilia still remain at a premium these days. These days Williams is still fourth on the all time list for Career Batting Average with a .344 average. The buzz he created from many years ago still seems to remain in the form of his signed baseball memorabilia.

Those who watched the man play are still in awe of his ability to hit for average while knocking 521 balls out of the park. These days an autographed Ted Williams baseball can be found rather easily since he signed so many. An autographed Ted Williams jersey is a little harder to locate but not impossible.

The bottom line is the demand is still there for autographed Ted Williams memorabilia after all this time. That’s because of the grass roots campaign the last generation started thanks to just being in awe of one heck of a baseball player.

What happened at Fenway Park and around the rest of the American League from the late 1930s to the early 1960s  still has a huge impact on the pricing of sporting memorabilia in 2010.  Feats like hitting .400, winning all of those batting titles and ending his career with a home run put Williams in a place shared by few across more than a century of big league baseball.

When Ted Williams passed away in 2002, many baseball fans mourned the loss of one of the all time greats. Even those who didn’t like the Boston Red Sox or Williams had to admit #9 deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as some of the game’s greatest icons. That’s why many still covet Williams signed items  to this day-even if they never saw him play.

Here’s a link to some authentic Ted Williams autographs on eBay right now.  These are items with a stamp of approval by PSA/DNA and James Spence Authentication.

The stories like my father told me aren’t done by the way just because we live in a different generation. As the years pass on, so will the grass roots effort of explaining the Ted Williams legend through stories and signed memorabilia. That’s why autographed Ted Williams memorabilia will tell stories by their mere existence for years to come.

Autographed Babe Ruth Items; Never Enough to Go Around

He’s been gone now for decades but autographed Babe Ruth items really aren’t that hard to find thanks to the Babe’s lifelong goodwill toward fans.

He signed thousands of autographs every year.  Before games, after games, and especially in public.

The Babe was no hermit.

He truly enjoyed being around fans and understood their importance to the success of professional baseball.  He also had a soft spot for kids having grown up in an orphanage.

You could argue that it was Babe Ruth signing baseballs that really kick-started the autographed baseball craze.  Signed baseballs have been around since the turn of the 20th century but Ruth made them into valuable collectibles to be treasured, not played with.

So why is it, then, that autographed Babe Ruth items are still worth four figures..sometimes more if they’re in pristine condition on a ball or bat?  The simple law of supply and demand.

Ruth’s star burns so bright even today that owning anything that he touched at one time–even for a few seconds–is very desirable to fans and collectors.  His larger-than-life story still plays well today.  The fact that he was a Yankee doesn’t hurt.

“I can’t keep Babe Ruth autographs in stock,” one dealer told me recently.  “Unless you price them at a level that doesn’t make sense, there are always buyers for Ruth signed items.”

Babe Ruth autographs have proven to be an excellent investment.  The last generation of people who remember him are now long-retired and seeking a connection with their past.  Modern collectors love to boast about having a signed Babe Ruth anything in their hobby room.

The cheapest way to buy an autographed Babe Ruth item is to purchase a cut signature, taken from a scrapbook or penned on a piece of ordinary paper.  You can then create your own framed baseball memorabilia if you like using the autograph as the centerpiece.  Signed Ruth baseballs will cost you more, but if they’re authenticated and if you’re not fussy about condition, you can pick up a lower grade ball for a few thousand dollars.  Photographs are plenty and nice ones are a really fabulous piece of the Babe to hang in your own baseball dugout.

 

Autographed Joe DiMaggio Memorabilia Offers Link to Yankees’ Past

For fans wishing to connect to the “Golden Era” of Yankee baseball, nothing serves as a better reminder than autographed Joe DiMaggio memorabilia.

The graceful, iconic predecessor to Mickey Mantle, the “Yankee Clipper” was regal in his approach to the game and fans were awestruck by the grace he displayed on and off the field.

“Joltin’ Joe” was a main cog in the Yankee Machine that won ten pennants and nine world series titles during his 13-year career. He was an All-Star every year during that span and won the MVP award three times including 1941, even though Ted Williams hit .401 that year.

Despite a career .325 batting average, DiMaggio stepped aside in 1951, claiming he had lost the needed intensity to play the game. His decision made room for another promising rookie to take his place, Mickey Mantle.

Autographed DiMaggio material is in great demand and commands a premium price as Yankee fans try to capture and display the greatness of a by-gone era.

An signed collectible item is a solid connection for the fan that can be put on display, rather than in a card album that has to be taken off of a shelf.  By displaying a ball or a bat in a protective covering, the fan can make sure that the item will remain undamaged and the autograph secure and protected. Given the cost of signed DiMaggio items these days and his place in Yankee lore, any damage to the autograph would be catastrophic.

He signed a lot of items, especially after his playing days ended when he was a guest on the autograph show circuit and did some private signings but a DiMaggio autographed bat can cost in the $1500-3,000 range and a jersey can go higher.  Signed DiMaggio baseballs can be found anywhere from $350-$800 or so with photographs in the $150-500 range.

You should always try to buy material that comes with a certificate of authenticity or tamper-proof hologram to protect against fraud and forgery.  Searching through the listings we have linked to here at Diamond Autographs offers the peace of mind that a trained authenticator has offered their opinion that the item is genuine.

Autographed DiMaggio memorabilia is a great gift item for Yankee fans of all ages  to display and cherish through the years and is a great way to reflect on the era in which he played.

 

Autograph Signings Offer One-on-One Opportunity

Pursuing sports autograph signings is nearly as exhilarating as the games you attend. Obtaining autographs is an exciting way to get close to your favorite athletes, whatever sport they play. It’s a way to show that you are a true fan, not only of a specific team, but of the best players in the game. Team balls are a perfect souvenir once you get them signed, and these balls may eventually be worth a good deal of money.

Before you attend sports autograph signings, allow yourself time to wait. If the athlete is popular, there may be lines of many people forming outside the venue where the signing will occur. If the area where the signing will be is a smaller venue, you may have to form lines, which certainly beats the alternative of pushing and shoving to see who gets up to the table first. Still, this means you need to watch the weather, because you may be standing outside for some time. Wear shoes and clothes that are comfortable, since you may be standing for awhile.

If you have an item already purchased that you would like signed, such as a ball or program, it’s best to take those with you, rather than count on there being items available for purchase at autograph signings. Sometimes they have items for sale, but they may run out before you get to the front of the line.

Be prepared to tell your favorite athletes what you’d like to have written on your souvenir item. If you can get more than just their names, that’s always a plus. A special message doesn’t need to take a long time to write, and it will make your autograph different from the rest, should you ever decide to sell it. In addition, it will make the item more special to you if it is personalized. A clever saying can be a good idea, if the athlete is signing more than just his name. You may want to make a note of what you’d like him to write with his name, because you may forget it when you come face to face with your all-time favorite player. At some paid autograph signings, you’ll have to fork over a little more to have an inscription added.

Autograph signings are not the place to get autographs for twenty of your closest friends, either. Even though your friends will want you to get an autograph for them, too, asking for a lot of them is usually annoying to the athlete, and it also is not fair to all those people standing behind you in line. At paid signings, you’ll pay for each autograph ticket so ‘extras’ aren’t possible. Try it and you’ll probably be asked to leave.

There are many ways to find local sports autograph signings. You can check the website of your favorite teams, or check sports autograph sites to see if there are any coming up in your area.