Autographed Baseballs – Building a Collection

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Autographed baseballs are among the most popular types of sports memorabilia, with a history that dates back decades. Teams have been writing on them since the earliest days of the game when the teams, score and other details of a game were written on the ball, which was then preserved as a ‘trophy’.

Signing, or autographing, a ball didn’t become popular until the 1920s, although earlier balls do exist, of course. Fans and collectors like autographed baseballs for many reasons. They’re easy to store thanks to display cases built especially for them. They’re easy to look at and each one tells a story. Where did the ball come from? What does it represent?

Team signed baseballs can place you in a great moment, whether they are from a World Series winner, All-Star team or just an ordinary club from an ordinary year. Collecting World Series champion baseballs is one way to build a collection. You can decide to collect only baseballs signed by Hall of Famers. Or, you can collect a team signed ball from each year from your favorite franchise.

You can pick a milestone, such as members of the 3,000 hit club, Cy Young Award winners, World Series MVPs or anything else you can think of.

Be sure, if you’re building a collection revolving around a player that the ball is ONLY signed by that player if you care at all about future value. While balls signed by multiple players may seem like a good deal, their value isn’t as strong a ball carrying just the one autograph.

Baseballs signed on the sweet spot-the narrowest area of white between the stitches-are held in higher esteem than those that aren’t.

Be sure to invest in ball holders to display your autographed baseballs. They’ll keep them free of dirt, fingerprints and smudging and be certain to keep them out of direct sunlight. Nothing fades a ball faster!