Did Whitey Ford ever sign autographs as Ed Ford?

Answer 1

He might have signed Ed Ford early in his career, and baseballs signed "Ed" would be few. Signatures of Ed Ford, and Larry Berra, instead of Whitey, and Yogi could be an indication that the Baseball or photo you have is a facsimile, or stamped signature commonly found on souvenir baseballs, or photos, and is not hand signed.

With a stamped signature baseball the ink would be too consistent. When you sign your name, you use different angles, and pressure as you sign. This is more evident when signing with sharpie. Some parts of the signature will be darker, or lighter depending on the pressure you put on the pen. With a stamped signature it is usually all the same density, and thickness. When you cross a "T", or at the end of your signature you might tail off as you come off the page. A stamped signature might start, and end with no variation at all.

With a photo a preprint or facsimile signature often appears to be below the surface gloss of the photo, and the signature is often very "flat." Hold the photo up at an angle to a light source. A real signature is written on the surface of the photo, and should have a different level of reflectivity than the rest of the surface. A preprint will blend right in with the surface because it's underneath the surface gloss.

See Related Links Below for a picture of Ed Ford, and Larry Berra stamped signatures that appear on a 1955 baseball. If your signatures are exactly the same then you have a souvenir baseball.