This was definitely the hardest list for me to put together as I have nearly 500 autographs from major leaguers. This list consists of my favorite ten items in my baseball collection so I put a lot of my arithmetic into how I obtained these items, who the player is, etc. It isn't necessarily the list of my ten highest valued items from the sport.
10. Bobby Witt Jr.
This was a cool through the mail request I received back from Witt before he made the big leagues and became one of the five best players in the game. It was a prospect card and I actually sent it to his parent's house in hopes it would get to him (his dad was a MLB pitcher). It took some months, but I ended up getting this card back;
9. Julio Rodriguez
The second biggest auto I have ever pulled from any product, I had to get this Julio Rodriguez on my list. As a recap, check out this link. A middle of nowhere New Mexico Walmart cello pack while on vacation for the win. A Bowman prospect auto /99. Just a massive retail hit.
8. Clayton Kershaw
This signed baseball makes the list because of the sheer rarity of the ball and the inscriptions I asked for. I forgot exactly when I got this signed via a private signing but it had to be about 15 years ago, around the time he won the pitching triple crown.
7. Albert Pujols
One of the best hitters of his (or any) generation, I got this ball signed at a public signing up in Orange County. I was lucky because I only paid for one ball and everyone that ordered multiples got shoddy signatures from him. I also got his ROY 01 inscription and you won't find many baseballs signed by Pujols that look this good. I've got two other side paneled baseballs signed by Pujols and a card as well.
6. Ken Griffey Jr.
The very first autograph I've ever owned and the impetus to my obsession with the hobby. I got this ball signed in person as a kid at Qualcomm Stadium and did not know who it was that signed the ball for years until I became an expert in the hobby. The ball holds up to this day and I've since also sent a rookie card into a Griffey signing. The Kid has a beautiful signature.
5. Hank Aaron
Now we start a run of Mt Rushmore level players who are among the pantheon of all time greats. I bought this Hank Aaron signed photo a handful of years ago when I started chasing only the GOAT worthy players. It is authenticated by PSA as well as by a group of baseball experts I trust fully as they are the best in the business at authenticating baseball autos.
4. Mickey Mantle
Same story as above, except this one was authenticated by JSA rather than PSA and also independently verified as authentic by the aforementioned expert group. The reason these two photos aren't higher is 8x10s don't hold as much value and I did not obtain them via signing.
3. Ted Williams
This Teddy ballgame auto was one I acquired via an auction and comes with his own authentication as well as the approval of the expert group. I bumped this one over Aaron and Mantle because it displays better and has become a showpiece on my wall in my memorabilia room.
2. Mike Trout collection
I am cheating a bit and lumping these all into one ranking. I've got two signed baseballs, one signed his rookie year and another with his ROY 11 inscription. I've got a signed 11x14 with the inscription, as well as a game model bat and authentic jersey all signed by Trout. Unfortunately, injuries have dimmed his status, but this guy is a no doubt first ballot Hall of Famer even if he retired today. My favorite piece is actually the photo because it looks so damn cool.
1. Tony Gwynn framed ensemble
Could it be anyone else? Like any 40 plus year old San Diego Padres fan, Tony Gwynn was our guy. He was our legend. He was as good a person off the field as he was a player on it, and he's arguably the best hitter of all time. I have quite a few Gwynn autos, and ten years or so ago I decided to get a few of these items custom framed together. Everything in my Gwynn collection was obtained by me in person, be it meeting him on the field as a kid for a little league reward, meeting him at El Cajon Ford for signings a few times, or getting him at the ballpark.
Honorable Mention!
Greg Maddux baseball
What I like so much about this ball is the provenance behind it, and that is the fact that my wife got this signed for me in the parking lot of Callaway golf (where she worked) because Greg was there filming an internet show called Calloway live. We went back to the parking lot empty handed because he hadn't signed for anyone afterwards, however, guess who was parked right next to our car? When we saw him coming my wife, much against her every instinct, got out and timidly approached him to sign a ball AND give his HOF inscription. He obliged! And we got his full signature on top of it which is extremely hard to do.
Comments
Post a Comment