How to Find Out if a Baseball Signature Is Authentic?

The late Harmon Killebrew was respected by fans for his quality autographs. The Hall of Famer and former Minnesota Twins baseball player produced clear and legible signatures on items he signed. The details in Killebrew's signatures are easy to see, while other players quick signatures leave them illegible and tougher to decipher.
All players' signatures, no matter how clear, are susceptible to forgery. There's nothing worse to a baseball fan than buying a signed item, only to find out later it's a fake. The best way to determine an autograph's validity is to turn to the professionals; signatures usually require third-party verification for the item to gain value.
There are strategies before relying on the professionals to help determine whether a baseball signature is the real deal.

Things You'll Need

  • Light
  • Magnifying glass
  • Signed materials
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Instructions

    • 1

      Use a magnifying glass to look closely at the signature on the ball. Notice whether or not the name has an unusually smooth appearance. If it does, this indicates it may have been stamped on the ball by a machine.

    • 2

      Look at how even the parts of the signature look to each other. If the signature looks too light or the ink is even throughout, it might be a fake. When a player signs a ball, he may have provided a good signature, however, the pen is applied unevenly in some areas. Players quickly signing a ball after a game wouldn't be able to hold a pen steady enough to sign their name perfectly.

    • 3

      Search for robotic dots with a magnifying glass. When an autopen machine signs an item, a dot is formed where the pen first touches the item and begins the signature. A final dot is left at the end when the pen finishes and moves away from the object. Players don't make these dots since the pen is usually moving with the hand as the signature is started.

    • 4

      Turn the ball upside down to evaluate the player's signature. Since the mind isn't focused on reading the name, it's easier to focus on the details in the ink, according to Paul Frasier Collectibles. Turn an authentically-signed signature (or a copy of one) upside down and place it side-by-side with the signature being evaluated. Look for inconsistencies between the two.

    • 5

      Gather other authentically signed materials by the same player or images of his signature on other items. Evaluate the similar items closely and look for things that are consistent through all of the signatures. Perhaps a letter is hooked a certain way or there's a consistent gap in areas of the signature. Evaluating many authentic sources against a potentially fake one will help make inconsistencies more recognizable if they're present.

    • 6

      Go to another source to have the signature evaluated. Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) and Universal Autograph Collectors Club (UACC) have services available to professionally evaluate player autographs. When seeking out autograph authentication, look for businesses offering a lifetime guarantee and who are open about the company's history and expertise.