Signed Memorabila

[Slyder]

I have come across some old memorabilia that I have either bought from estate sales or had since I was a kid and would like to see if any of it is worth anything. Included is a baseball that says its signed by the 1983 Baltimore Orioles and 3 old broken bats that various former Wheelers signed in the 1990-1991 era because Dan Wilson and Trevor Hoffman are on them. I'm in the Charleston, WV area.

[plantmanky]

I have 7 or so totes of stuff from when my grandma was a rosie red back in the day during the 70's and 80's. Player gloves, bats, balls, hats, signed stuff. I havent really ever gone through it. Probably some good stuff in there.

[SteelSD]

I have come across some old memorabilia that I have either bought from estate sales or had since I was a kid and would like to see if any of it is worth anything. Included is a baseball that says its signed by the 1983 Baltimore Orioles and 3 old broken bats that various former Wheelers signed in the 1990-1991 era because Dan Wilson and Trevor Hoffman are on them. I'm in the Charleston, WV area.

Do any of them have certificates of authebticity (COA's)? If they do, assuming it's from a valid authentication service, your value is likely to be higher. That's one variable to account for. Other factors driving value would include item condition, signatures present, signature condition, signature scarcity (does the player sign a ton or almost never), whether the item is from a significant event, etc. Dom can probably speak more to particulars given his experience in music memorabilia. Bats are generally worth more than baseballs, which are generally worth more than photos.

Your best bet to identify potential value is to do an eBay "Sold" items search, doing separate "COA" and "no COA" searches. That should give you a general value range for items that actually changed hands.

[Slyder]

Do any of them have certificates of authebticity (COA's)? If they do, assuming it's from a valid authentication service, your value is likely to be higher. That's one variable to account for. Other factors driving value would include item condition, signatures present, signature condition, signature scarcity (does the player sign a ton or almost never), whether the item is from a significant event, etc. Dom can probably speak more to particulars given his experience in music memorabilia. Bats are generally worth more than baseballs, which are generally worth more than photos.

Your best bet to identify potential value is to do an eBay "Sold" items search, doing separate "COA" and "no COA" searches. That should give you a general value range for items that actually changed hands.

I was the one who got the bats signed.

It was one of those promo days the Wheelers would do usually toward the end of the season as like a fan appreciation day.

The Ball I don't know about because it came in a box of sports memorabilia that I bought from an estate sale.

[SunDeck]

I have a "Charlie Hustle" trophy that I won as a seven year old knothole superstar in 1972. We met Pete and he signed the bottom of it that off season.

[SteelSD]

I was the one who got the bats signed.

It was one of those promo days the Wheelers would do usually toward the end of the season as like a fan appreciation day.

The Ball I don't know about because it came in a box of sports memorabilia that I bought from an estate sale.

There are services you can use to authenticate the signatures. Warning- it can be expensive ($100+ for a signed team baseball). If you're looking to appraise or sell, a 1983 Orioles ball with Cal Ripken Jr.'s signature is likely worth something in good condition, even without a COA. But you'll only get a premium out of it if it's authenticated. Probably your first step is to figure out who signed the items.

[Kingspoint]

...must be officially authenticated to have value.

[Dom Heffner]

You can either get it authenticated by a company like Beckett-

Or there are sports groups on Facebook that if shown a photo- they can tell you if it is real, and if you get the group endorsement, you should be able to find a buyer.

I have many items that are worth 5 figures that I do not have a cert with- Im not a COA die-hard....

But I get that some people like that. Id join an autograph community that deals with sports- post a photo asking for opinions and if you get several that say it is real- then pay the money for the cert.

If it is an obvious preprint or forgery, then the group opinion will save you the money for submitting it to PSA or Beckett or whoever you use.