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Autographed Baseball Value - What Determines It?
It seems every week I am asked by our sports memorabilia customers, what determines an autographed baseballs value? Here are 10 important factors.
1.) The Athlete. Generally, the more popular the athlete, the higher the selling price. Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, and Albert Pujols are generally going to sell for more than Eric Hosmer and Lance Berkman.
2.) Accomplishments. If an athlete has won a World Series title, MVP or ROY award, or was just inducted into the Hall of Fame, that will increase the price.
3.) Certificate of Authenticity (COA). A PSA/DNA, JSA, or Major League Baseball authentication holds a ton of weight in the industry and collector’s are willing to pay more for items with their COA. What is JSA and PSA?
4.) World Series or MLB Ball. An autographed World Series baseball by a player on a winning team will always be worth more than their autograph on a regular MLB ball. Take for example this Pedro Martinez signed 2004 World Series Baseball. Pedro was a key player, their best pitcher and 2004 was such a special year for the Red Sox (1st title since trading Babe Ruth). One other thing to consider is Rawlings stops making the World Series baseballs 3 years after, so a 2004 baseball was last produced in 2007.
Pedro Martinez Signed 2004 World Series Baseball
5.) Inscriptions. A baseball with a special inscription written by the player, such as 2013 MVP, or 2013 ROY, or 2013 WS CHAMPS always adds a ton of value to the baseball. On the opposite side, an inscription such as “To Matt,” will devalue the baseball.
6.) Quality. A smudged signature or brown spotting will always decrease its value. Or if an inscription is misspelled. All MLB balls should be signed on the sweet spot, or if a World Series ball under the WS logo. LEARN MORE about where to get a baseball signed.
7.) Supply and demand. I remember right after David Ortiz won the 2013 WS MVP award, his signed baseballs were very hard to come by and the ones you did find were generally 30-40% higher than normal. Mariano Rivera is another great example. When he retired, his story was all over the news, fans could not get enough of Mariano. He would do a signing every 4 weeks or so, but product always sold out right away. The supply was there, but the demand was much higher. As a result, companies increased his price to take advantage of the favorable market.
8.) Timing. Buying a players autograph right after a major accomplishment (WS Championship, MVP award, HOF induction) is always going to increase the price of their autograph simply because the emotions are high from collectors and fans. They want a piece of the action and something to remember the moment by.
9.) Dead or Alive. Obviously, when a player dies his autograph increases. Enough said.
10.) What an Athlete/Company Charges. It is no secret, athletes get paid for their autograph. What they get paid is mostly a secret. Athletes such as Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera get paid top dollar. They are paid per autograph and more for premium items such as jerseys. Baseballs are typically on the lower end of cost. The more the athlete gets paid, the more the cost is past down to the sports memorabilia consumer. Also, consider working with internet companies like us, where our overhead is much less and we can afford to sell items for less.
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Customer Reviews
Overall rating: 4.9 / 5 from 4825 reviews.
Awesome
Smooth transaction
AWESOME
Beautiful piece of memorabilia!!!
To finally get one of my baseball idols is an absolute dream come true but to get this card with an on card auto really made it all worth the wait! Thank you!!
Excellent service with this signing. Thank you!
Autograph came out great!
Awesome experience as always, I’d highly recommend Powers to anyone looking to expand their sports memorabilia collection!
Once again, Powers Sports came through big time! I had been waiting for many, many years to have this mini helmet signed by Carson Palmer. With special thanks to Natalie and Mathew, they were able to coordinate this endeavor exactly as I wanted it. Excellent autograph, perfectly positioned, using the exact paint pen requested and the C.O.A. sticker positioned right where I wanted it. Thank you folks so very much!
Matt and his team did a great job as usual. I highly recommend power’s!
Always great dealing with Powers. Got to watch Earl Singing on their website. Couldn't be happier with the helmet and the signature. Another perfect purchase. Thanks Powers crew!
I submitted 2 cards for signing by Dennis Rodman and came back very nice but one of the cards corner was damaged when returned back. Thank you Matt Powers and his team for this signing event.
I submitted 2 cards for signing by Hakeem Olajuwon & came back very nice. Thank you Matt Powers and his team for this signing event.
Power Sports Memorabilia is the best and always my "go to" autograph company to deal with. They are so accommodating and always get what you want and how you want it !!!! A+ on ALL counts !!!
I wasn't at the convention to be there for his signing. However, he has a killer autograph very happy with this autograph
Another great jersey signing!
PSM never let's me down. Another great auto on my multi signed piece. Thank you again.
The Barry Larkin auto in my PC is pure heat. Crisp ink, great placement, total keeper.
Just received by Bo Jackson Rookie Card back from Powers Sports Memorabilia. Once again, Powers Sports was able to get my card signed exactly as requested. Excellent signature, perfectly positioned and using the right kind and color marker.
Everything at Powers is first rate. They posted the videos on Facebook so I actually got to watch LT sign my helmet. And then they shipped me my helmet it's perfect could not be happier.
Had to get one of the coolest catchers in the game short man wacks that bat
A successful two sport pro athlete definitely needs authenticity
I like adding the inscriptions, and how this balls top and bottom of the logo
Pleased with the ball, still came after some rescheduling!
Power sports helped me cross another logo baseball off my list, and with one of the greatest catchers of all time
One of my favorites growing up A-ROD, get the top athletes in sports here.
Always got make sure you authenticate
Ball came back great, solid crisp clean auto of a HOFer
Package was received and communicated to me right away. Signing happened with no cancelations, got my photo proof and received my item in good condition. Even when I had questions about the signing I got an immediate response. Couldn't be happier.
10/10.
Matt and his team are the best around!
Great experiences, highly recommended
Matt and his team are the best!
Matt and his team always do the best job for their clients. I highly recommend them to anyone looking for top of the line autographs
Great job by Matt and his team per usual
Matt and his team did a great job
Enjoyed adding ted Simmons and Ivan Rodriguez to my all time catcher bat!
Thank you for another great autograph! Appreciate it!
Another amazing experience and gorgeous autograph. Thanks again!
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I have a World Series baseball Rawlings signed by frank Thomas what is the value of that
May 02, 2023
I’m very curious to find out how much a signed Rawlings World Series baseball by Frank Thomas is worth I wanna know the maximum I can get for it he is a Hall of Famer