I came across a baseball that belonged to my grandmother that was signed by the 1958 Dodgers (the first year they moved to LA). Do any of you know how I would go about getting something like this appraised or finding a buyer? Or maybe a ballpark (no pun intended) estimate of how much it is worth.
Antique road show? I know, it’s probably not antique, but to someone who is only 20 years old…heh…
In all seriousness, try the yellow pages. There’s three page of appraisers in mine, and that’s just a little dinky town of Dubuque IA.
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1134285495
This exact item sold on ebay, the auction ended april 22nd.
It sold for $399.50 – And I can tell you that baseball memorabilia sells on ebay for typically less than you can sell it for person to person. The trick is finding someone locally who wants it, though. You might look for a baseball card store in your area. Sigs of Don Drysdale, Sandy Koufax, Pee Wee Reese, and Duke Snider should garner some interest.
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1131919162
This one, as well. It sold for $280.
There is a difference between the price you can get on eBay, and the price you would pay at a sports collectibles shop. The eBay price is known as the fair market value, and represents what you as a collector might expect to get for it from a dealer or at auction. The price at a dealer is the replacement value, and represents what you would have to pay if you wanted to purchase it outright on any given day. Think of it like the high and low blue book price on a car. Any reputable appraiser will give you both figures.
Note that the ball that brought $280. was on a Wilson professional model. The one that brought $399. was on an official ball. Official ML balls bring the most.
You will also have to evaluate the strength of the signatures. And the whiteness of the ball.
I doubt that you will find a dealer paying more than the $250-350 range, even for a really nice one.
Keep it and enjoy it.