OT: Found Signed Baseball - Help with Signature

[HushHush]

All righty all you sports fanatics. I was digging through a box of my late husbands that I've been avoiding for awhile .. and found a signed baseball. I know that he received this baseball when he was a "poster child" for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation ... and it was given to him during a baseball game in the Miami area back around 1966-68 time frame.

THe ball is even stamped "Official National League" which is really cool!

The signatures on the ball are Joe Torre, Hank Aaron and one I can't really decipher. Billy Hitcharch ... or maybe Hitchard? Anyone know who this last person might be??

What do you think something like this would be valued at? I don't want to part with it .. but I do need an estimated value to put down on my "antiques" insurance list.

Also - anyone hear of Jim Willoughby of the Red Sox? I found some old baseball cards of him too.

Thanks in advance for your help!!

[ October 31, 2007, 04:44 AM: Message edited by: HushHush ]

[Tripe Face]

Perhaps Billy Martin?

And is this the Willoughby guy? Apparently he pitched in a world series for the Red Sox, but eventually wound up with the White Sox. Probably a good pitcher, but I hear most of his relatives were a little wacky. They even root for the Dolphins. ;)

http://www.angelfire.com/mb/markssigningbonus/jimwilloughby.JPG

[Randy Steinman]

Hush,

Nice find. A baseball signed by two Hall of Famers (Aaron and Torre) is worth keeping. They both played for the Atlanta Braves during those 1966-68 seasons. Torre isn't in the HOF yet, but he will be. If Atlanta teammate Phil Niekro also signed the ball, that's three Hall of Famers.

Billy 'Hitcharch' is likely Billy Hitchcock, who coached and managed the Braves in '66 and '67. With the Aaron and Torre autographs, I'm guessing the ball could probably fetch around $100 on eBay.

Jim Willoughby pitched for eight seasons during the 1970's, mostly with the Giants and Red Sox. Nothing special. His career record was 26 wins and 36 losses, although he pitched for Boston in the 1975 World Series.

[ October 31, 2007, 05:27 AM: Message edited by: Randy Steinman ]

[jama]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Hitchcock

[jama]

A ball with Hank Aaron alone would be worth anywhere from $200-$300. Although that may go down now that steroid boy is in the picture. You can usually judge the value of these types of things on ebay.

I'm not sure what your ball would be worth.

[jama]

Oh, and you would have to pay to have it authenticated if you wanted to sell it. Probably around $20-$30.

[Randy Steinman]

Originally posted by jama:
A ball with Hank Aaron alone would be worth anywhere from $200-$300.I think that's high, jam. I just looked on eBay for Aaron-signed baseballs, and they look like they go for $60-70.

Hush, I would someday pass that ball on to a young baseball fan in your family. Trust me, that'll mean much more to you than what you'll be able to sell it for.

[jama]

Wow, I see that. I wonder if the value has gone down somewhat already.

[22]

Hush,

Just a guess... but I bet it was a ball he got in spring training. At that time, the Braves were in West Palm for Spring training and all of those player would have been there. See how all of this falls into place?

Furthemore, this ball is old enough to precede the great plethora of counterfit stuff that hit the market a generation later. A counterfitter would never put Hitchcock on the ball.

All in all, a great find. I would estimate at least several hundred dollars and maybe as much as 1000$ when Torre enters the hall.

You might try to contact Torre who still lives in West Palm. He just might remember the circumstance. He reallly is incredable about that kind of stuff. I once asked him about a particular home run he hit in St. Louis in 1972. He remembered it well.

[Fargin Icehole]

Originally posted by 22:
You might try to contact Torre who still lives in West Palm. He just might remember the circumstance. He reallly is incredable about that kind of stuff. I once asked him about a particular home run he hit in St. Louis in 1972. He remembered it well.Yup. I've talked to a couple current HOF and they have long memories. Once Ernie Banks told me about the pitch when he hit his 500th home run off Pat Jarvis. "Inside fastball...I hit the sh*t out of it".

[Hack Wilson Fan]

I assume you have the ball in one of those acrylic baseball holders for protection against skin oils and the like? If not, gotta get one. They're cheap, less than $10, and add decades to the life of an autographed ball.

One day one of my sons will have the one I have from the 1970 Cincinnati Reds.

[jama]

Originally posted by Hack Wilson Fan:
I assume you have the ball in one of those acrylic baseball holders for protection against skin oils and the like? If not, gotta get one. They're cheap, less than $10, and add decades to the life of an autographed ball.

One day one of my sons will have the one I have from the 1970 Cincinnati Reds.Would that make the ball heavier or lighter?

[Randy Steinman]

graemlins/icon_pray.gif

[Hack Wilson Fan]

Official MLB Baseballs have a corked center, so naturally the ball becomes heavier when the cork is inserted.

[Jane Craig]

And if the ball floats, it is a witch.

[jama]

Once the acrylic shell is added, the ball becomes lighter. This is obvious because the protective shell is clear.

[mothball]

Is it heavier than a duck?

[Clever Login Name]

Originally posted by Hack Wilson Fan:
One day one of my sons will have the one I have from the 1970 Cincinnati Reds.[/QB]If Bernie Carbo signed it (my former favorite player), that's priceless!

[Dap]

Originally posted by Randy Steinman:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by jama:
A ball with Hank Aaron alone would be worth anywhere from $200-$300.I think that's high, jam. I just looked on eBay for Aaron-signed baseballs, and they look like they go for $60-70.

Hush, I would someday pass that ball on to a young baseball fan in your family. Trust me, that'll mean much more to you than what you'll be able to sell it for.</font>[/QUOTE]Do NOT value your things using eBay! Items like these typically sell at bargain prices on eBay because most are unauthenticated and can easily be faked.

Contact a reputable auction house and ask them for names of appraisers. A good sports appraiser will also give written authentication of the signatures.

If you do decide to sell, investigate high quality auction houses. They tend to save like items for special auctions, (baseball memorabilia in your case) which bring collectors and higher prices.

Good luck.

[HushHush]

I don't think authentication will be too hard. His mom has a photo of Hank Aaron handing the ball over to my hubby. :D It's been one of my favorite "baby photos" of his since I met him. I just never knew he still had the ball!

Yes - it's in a protective acrylic case. Yes the ball is stamped to say "THe Cushioned Cork Center - Spalding. And Yes - I'll be keeping this with the photo for a very long time.

Thanks for all the input - it does make sense that Hitchcock be the third signature And how all these details are falling into place - it's kinda neat.

[ October 31, 2007, 08:33 AM: Message edited by: HushHush ]

[Randy Steinman]

You're partially right, Dap. But the fact is that eBay has driven down the price of authentic memorabilia because it's made it so accessible.

Case in point: I've had a Mike Schmidt rookie card since 1973. Ten years ago, it was probably worth $400... only because it was difficult to find one. Where would I go to buy another? Most corner-store card dealers wouldn't have one in stock. And if they did, they would charge an arm and a leg.

Thanks to eBay, Schmidt rookie cards (in decent shape) are easily available for $50. Guys like me, who were kids in 1973, now have a place to sell them. They're all authentic. But they're everywhere.

You have a real nice ball there, Hush. As '22' points out, the Hitchock signature eliminates any doubt about its authenticity.

I was wrong in my earlier post. The baseball's not worth $100. The photo of your late husband and Aaron help make the ball a priceless piece of personal family history.

Congrats. ;)

[Diggin' Bear]

Since the experts have all gathered here, I thought I'd share the two gems I own, courtesy my eldest uncle, who was selling his collection

I have a Topps '61 Mantle card, the year he hit 56 and Maris got the record. Of course, the latest stats on the back are 1960.

To go with it, a '61 Koufax card. It was the last year before he had a winning record, and I believe the first of his Cy Youngs.

Both are in plastic and excellent condition. I think I'm gonna save 'em for awhile longer.

[Dap]

Originally posted by Randy Steinman:
You're partially right, Dap. But the fact is that eBay has driven down the price of authentic memorabilia because it's made it so accessible.Serious collectors will pay significantly more for provenance which this ball seems to have.

eBay certainly has ruined the market for certain collectibles. Yet it has also expanded the market for others.

[sonorandesert]

Originally posted by Dap:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Randy Steinman:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by jama:
A ball with Hank Aaron alone would be worth anywhere from $200-$300.I think that's high, jam. I just looked on eBay for Aaron-signed baseballs, and they look like they go for $60-70.

Hush, I would someday pass that ball on to a young baseball fan in your family. Trust me, that'll mean much more to you than what you'll be able to sell it for.</font>[/QUOTE]Do NOT value your things using eBay! Items like these typically sell at bargain prices on eBay because most are unauthenticated and can easily be faked.
</font>[/QUOTE]Agreed!
There are pawn shops, in my part of the desert, that base their loans on what they could get on Ebay if they have to resell.
I took an $800 camera for a short loan and was quoted $30 for a loan. I asked why and they responded that they used Ebay as a watermark.

[HushHush]

My FIL sent two of the photos with hubby and his baseball. I thought you guys might get a kick out of seeing them.

this first one is hubby with Joe Torre:
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c93/persiplz/torre.jpg

and this is one of hubby with Billy Hitchcock and a few unknown players - this is when he actually got the baseball:
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c93/persiplz/wpb.jpg (http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c93/persiplz/wpb.jpg)

[Todd W.]

Cool pictures, Hush!

I'm also moving this thread to the Sports Line, I hope that's ok with everyone? Otherwise this thread will be lost in a few more days amidst the tidal wave of posts.

[commercial hack]

Wow! What great memories!

[Laughing Angel]

Very cool, Hush! Those are some terrific pictures.

[Roy Hobbs]

Hello, Mr. Spaulding!
http://www.500homerclub.com/images/hankaaron/hank_aaron.jpg

[Ping-Pong Ball]

Yup. I've talked to a couple current HOF and they have long memories. Once Ernie Banks told me about the pitch when he hit his 500th home run off Pat Jarvis. "Inside fastball...I hit the sh*t out of it".

I had one encounter with a HOF, Yogi Berra, when I was nine. It was before a spring training game when he was manager of the Yankees. I was standing by the fence next to the ball field. He came from behind me and was surrounded by a bunch of media people. He loudly shouted at me, "Out of my way!" and proceeded to shove me to the ground in a sucker-punch type fashion because I had my back to him since I was watching the Yankees warm up. What an A-hole. Who pushes a little kid?

Meanwhile, my Grandmother, bless her heart, saw what he had done to me and came charging out of the stands. She wanted a piece of the jerk who knocked her grand kid over. By the time she got to me, he was already in the dug-out.

To this day, I think Yogi Berra is a giant a$$-hat!