Sports Memorabilia

1961 Yankees Team Signed Baseball

Appraisal: 1961 Yankees Team Signed Baseball

Transcript

GUEST: It's a 1961 signed Yankees baseball. My in-laws had gone to Kansas City to a baseball game, and after the game it was raining and Mel Allen was standing outside trying to get a cab.

APPRAISER: Mel Allen, who was...

GUEST: The voice of the Yankees. And they recognized him and they picked him up and took him to the airport. He wanted to pay them, they refused, and so they said to send a baseball to their son, who was six years old at the time.

APPRAISER: Sure, okay.

GUEST: And it was signed by the Yankees.

APPRAISER: It is exceptionally well kept. The autographs, with some exceptions, are very strong. There is some bleeding, which should be expected from ballpoint pen, but for the most part, they're exceptional. And what we see on the sweet spot are the autographs of Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle.

GUEST: Mickey Mantle, yes (laughs).

APPRAISER: And then if I turn the ball, we see another very important Yankees signature, which was Roger Maris. And this ball is from the 1961 Yankees, arguably their best year. And a great year for Maris, who broke Babe Ruth's home run record. At auction, you could expect this ball to sell for $5,000.

GUEST: Oh!

APPRAISER: Unfortunately, the Mantle signature is a secretarial.

GUEST: Is what?

APPRAISER: It's fake.

GUEST: Really?

APPRAISER: It is. Were that signature real, the ball could have sold for $15,000.

GUEST: Oh, well... (laughs)

APPRAISER: Thank you for bringing it.