1923 New York Yankees-signed Baseball
Watch
GUEST:
My mom had an Uncle Joe that had worked on a railroad, and he got it somehow, we don't really know. But he knew some ballplayers. It's been in our family since 1923.
APPRAISER:
You brought a 1923 New York Yankees team-signed ball, missing about two guys, and that's it. Of course, you've got some prominent names on here, as one would expect. Babe Ruth featured prominently in the sweet spot, and that's where he should be. Interestingly enough, you have... You have a Lou Gehrig signature here, his first year, his rookie year. 20-year-old Gehrig. He played all of 13 games, but he won a championship, and here he is. You've got some evidence of tracing. There's some enhancement in some of the signatures. And you see it in the Ruth signature and elsewhere. You'd have to have it authenticated-- send it out to a third party, have it looked at, and then really find out what you've got. If there's enhancement, you're looking at a ball that's worth about $3,000 to $5,000 at auction.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
If there's no enhancement, that changes. You're looking at about $10,000 to $15,000 at auction.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
Okay?
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
It's a great ball either way.
GUEST:
Right, yeah.
APPRAISER:
1923 Yankees baseball with a 20-year-old Gehrig's signature.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
Good stuff.
GUEST:
Okay, cool.
Appraisal Details
Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."
Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.
Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.
Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.
Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.
Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.
