In what year did facsimile autographed baseballs start?

Answer 1

The First team autographed Baseballs

The Autographed Ball Company was founded in 1947 by Richard B. (Dick) Culler in High Point, North Carolina. Culler played baseball in the major leagues from 1945 to 1950, for the Philadelphia A's, Chicago White Sox, Boston Braves, Chicago Cubs, and New York Giants.

Dick Culler had invented a technique to stamp facsimiles of players' signatures on baseballs, so team-autographed balls could be mass-produced. A joint venture with ex teammate Billy Jurges, the company licensed the use of players' signatures on the basis of one cent apiece for each ball sold. The company sold balls through concession stands in big-league parks and also sold them through the mail. The Autographed Ball Company went out of business in March of 2014