I’m going to combine my questions instead of starting a new thread.

Question number two is what’s the next autographed baseball you would buy for less than $400?

My favorite is my Chipper Jones ball. I paid for that one also. I’ve never been lucky enough to get an autograph.

I have a few, all acquired in person:

Pete Rose
Trevor Hoffman
Tony Gwynn
Gary Sheffield

Bruce Bochey
Fernando Valenzualia

Many others but those are my favorites, likely because of the "how" they were acquired.

My Willie Stargell ball. He signed the ball for me at a show in Tacoma, then my wife had a local artist customize it. He had me pick out two of my favorite photos of Willie and painted them on the ball along with some stats etc...

The ball along with a McFarlane Stargell and Staubach figurine are displayed in my office.

I had the chance to meet Willie at the Pirates Fantasy Camp in 1999. My favorite baseball player.

When I was growing up, around 10 years old, so this would have been the early 80's, my Dad had a Brooklyn Dodgers autographed ball. His father had worked in the Cincinnati Reds clubhouse and obtained it.

It was signed sometime between 1947 and 1950. Obviously the biggest autograph was Jackie Robinson. Also there was Pee Wee Reese and Burt Shotton. It was pretty much the whole team from whatever year it was signed, a couple dozen signatures in all.

I can still picture the ball. The was the official Spaulding ball of the time. It was signed in blue ink.

My Dad sold it around that time. It's one thing from my childhood I truly wish I had. I have thought about trying to find it, but with the price of sports memorabilia it would be out of my price range.

My most precious baseball memento is the 1961 Reds-Yankees World Series program. My dad took me to games 3 & 4, I was 10 years old we flew from Louisville to Cincinnati, first time I'd ever been on a plane. Had front row, upper deck 1st base side seats courtesy of Enderline Fruit Co and it's a memory I'll treasure always. Mantle, Maris, Whitey Ford, Frank Robinson, Vada Pinson were all heroes. I still have several hundred baseball cards from 60-64 but my biggest treasure disappeared to a sticky fingered buddy I'm sure.

1963 age 12 I was with dad and some of his pals at River Downs horse track. Pete Rose was there and one of dad's buddies pointed him out as he was walking to the parking lot. The gate attendant said I could leave to get Pete's autograph and get back in so I took off to bug Pete for an autograph - He was with a hot brunette and was super nice, not at all annoyed, chatted a bit and signed a River Downs program for me. I've got witnesses but the autograph is long gone.

I've got a nice collection of 1960s-70s era made in USA ball gloves. Bought most on Ebay and I enjoy fiddling with them. My favorite is a Rawlings XPG1 from 1970 and it's the model Roberto Clemente used.

World Series program


some of my gloves

Mine is the one signed by my junior college teammates when I left for the Army.

I had a couple of Ted Williams, my son took them for his bookcase when he moved out.

Along with a Bobby Ore puck

My favorite autographed baseball?
I've got two:
Stan "the man" Musial.
Bruce Zimmermann. Probably no value, but he's my nephew...

My favorite autographed softball?
The ball I caught for the last out of the intra-mural championship my senior year in college and had all of my team mates sign.

I have a Cal Ripken Junior ball.

He signed it for me at a Giants spring training game from the field.

The other is a baseball I had my Dad sign a couple years before he passed.

I have a Nolan Ryan and Brooks Robinson (ball and hat) obtain in person when a local Sams club opened up.

I have none. Looks like I can get a Rickey Henderson signed ball for under $200 so I’d get that were I in the market.

I have a team signed baseball from the 1954 Cleveland Indians. Has three hall of famers on it!

I've only got one, Stan Musial, and it comes with a story.

When I was about ten years old, I went to a Cardinals game with a friend and his grandfather. We had box seats first row over the Cardinals' dugout. Stan and a couple of others were warming up, tossing a ball around, maybe playing a little pepper or something. As they finished up and headed into the dugout, right in front of us, I called out, "Hey, Stan, can I have the ball?" He tossed it up and down a time or two, then tossed it to me. I had my glove on, and caught it easily. My new treasure.

Fast forward about thirty years. I was going to be at a small gathering that Stan was to be attending and we knew he would be bringing some souvenirs and no doubt available for autographs (He was extremely generous in that regard). I brought the ball and told him the story of how I came to have it. He was sitting at a table and I was standing at his shoulder and slightly behind as he listened and went about signing my ball. When he finished signing, and without looking up, he simply tossed it up in the air in front of me. It took me by surprise, but I managed to catch it again without fumbling or missing the catch. A few laughs all around, and my childhood memory revisited and now completed. Stan was, indeed, The Man.

Have three baseballs,Ozzie Smith, Tony Gwynn, and Barry Larkin the year he won the MVP,
my favorite. Have a bat signed by Johnny Bench, Basketball by Oscar Robertson. Hockey puck
signed by Gordie Howe. Favorite is a football signed by Franco Harris. I have a brother that lives
in Pittsburgh, Tried to give it to him, he wouldn't take it. I have about 15 diecast NASCAR cars
all signed by the drivers.

Only have one signed baseball.
Was a kid in the early 90s at a Reds game where they were playing the Rockies.
Sat right by the Rockies dug out and Joe Gerardi signed a ball for me.


I have some other non signed memorabilia that is pretty cool.
I have the game used 3rd base from the Reds and Cardinals game on the day that my 1st son was born. Have a ball from that game as well.

I have several. Koufax, Drysdale, Lasorda, are my favorites. Feller, Musial, and others follow...

Bill Mazeroski.

Mariano Rivera. Greatest closer of all time.

1969 Mets

Gil Hodges
Bud Harrelson
Ron Taylor

I have a few. My favorite is the one signed by Whitey Ford.