What is the value of a 1914 American League ball signed by Babe Ruth that would be rated about an 8 to 9 that has B.B. Ban Johnson's name stamped on it as American League commissioner?

Answer 1

The value of your Baseball will be determined by the condition of the ball as well as the signature of the Bambino.

If the signature on the ball is an 8 to 9 as you estimate, and an authentication company such as JSA or PSADNA is able to grade both the ball and the signature (with the average grade favoring the signature), then your ball would be worth approximately 38,500 to 85,000. Again, this is for a very clean ball (graded 8 to 9), with a very legible signature (graded 8 to 9).

If the ball was used in a game and has obvious smudge marks, fingerprints, bat marks, broken stitching, etc., then the value will be much less. The best way to find out accurate ball and signature grading would be to submit your baseball to an authentication service. Currently, the average cost for authenticating and grading a Babe Ruth signature is about $200.00.

Don't be discouraged if you do have the ball graded and don't get the score you think the ball is worth. You still have a treasure that many would be very happy to own. Just for your information, a very rare, very clean ball with a Babe Ruth signature graded 9.5 was sold in 2005 for $150,000.00. This ball was unusually well-preserved.