Ask Babe: More questions for the Babe

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Dear Babe: What would an authentic Bobby Brown baseball with a COA and hologram from STAT Authentic be worth? It is signed by the following 500 HR Club members: Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Frank Robinson, Harmon Killebrew, Reggie Jackson, Mike Schmidt, Mickey Mantle, William McCovey, Ted Williams, Ernie Banks and Eddie Matthews. -- T.J., Chicago.
The simple answer is a ball signed by those then 11 living members of the original 500 Home Run Club is worth $700-$1,000 these days -- maybe even a little more for one authenticated by PSA/DNA or James Spence Authentication and sold through a reputable auction house.
Unfortunately, dealing with 500 Home Run Club signed items is never simple. Sometimes you just have to go to the source to get the straight scoop.
The images that you said were posted on the auction site during the sale were shared with a number of authenticators and auction house people across the country. None thought that the signatures were authentic. The images also went to STAT and AAFES.
STAT, Always at Market, which is morphing into "At Auction,'' and the Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES), which hosted the auction where you purchased the ball, say they stand behind the sale and the authentication.
Da Babe is reminded of a septic tank service commercial that ended with "We stand behind our work. Way behind."
They may well need to stand a long way back.
Da Babe has been told that you measure one of these 500 HR Club items by Harmon Killebrew's signature. His signature is the same at the end of signing session as it was at the start.
The Killebrew signature in the images you sent was barely readable.
Still, Ted Taylor, co-owner of STAT, stood firm.
"The Killebrew one bothered us too, then we found similar ones on photos we knew to be genuine. The deal was that these were signed in a production line -- literally the player was given box after box to sign. Harmon Killebrew is a long name to sign -- I can understand that, in a hurry, he signed less than perfect. The drill when these were signed was to sign as many as possible in a short period of time."
Da Babe should note that its doubtful Taylor or anyone from STAT was around when the balls were signed, supposedly between 1989-91. His statements on how they were signed can only be based on what he was told by the person trying to unload the items.
"We feel confident that STAT is a reputable firm and that the merchandise that they have authenticated is truly authentic,'' said Geoff Smith of Always at Market.
Judd Anstey, PR manager for the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, said "After further review, it appears that the Exchange Online Mall's auction partner has done its due diligence to ensure the products offered through the military exchange auction site are of the highest possible quality."
(All three had much more to say. In fairness, their comments in their entirety can be found on my blog at.www.scrippsnews.com/waxpak. Both Always At Market and the AAFES said they would refund the money for the ball if you were not satisfied.)
We could be here until the cows come home with my sources that don't want to get in the middle of the morass and legal hassles, saying one thing and STAT and At My Market saying something else.
As they say on TV, "Wait, there's more..."
How about getting it straight from the horse's or in this case Hall of Famer's mouth.
Da Babe doesn't like loose ends, so with the help of a number of my sources who deal with him, I was able to track down one of the signers.
"The autograph on the ball you sent the photo of is not mine! No way, no how -- not even when I was very sick!'' Killebrew said. "I think several of the others are questionable as well."
When I asked about assembly line style signing, he said "That shouldn't make any difference. I take pride in my signature."
As for phony 500 HR items, he said "There are a lot of them out there that are not good."
Tim Fitzsimmons, the FBI agent in charge of the FBI's Operation Bullpen sting that blew the lid off the sports memorabilia forgery business, including a lot of phony 500 HR Club items, nine years ago, offered a few tips back then. His words stand the test of time. The entire list is on my blog www.scrippsnews.com/waxpak.
Here's a preview.
-- If the price is too good to be true, it is probably a fake.
-- Certificates of authenticity are not guarantees of authenticity.
-- The method of selling the memorabilia should not affect skepticism about the items. Forgers often sell items through charity auctions to lend credibility to a phony item.
As some old Roman supposedly said "caveat emptor.'' Let the buyer beware.

(Send card questions to Babe Waxpak, PO Box 492397, Redding, CA 96049-2397 or e-mail babewaxpak(at)charter.net. If possible, include card number, year and brand or a photocopy. Please do not send cards. For Babe Waxpak's blog, see www.scrippsnews.com/waxpak. Babe Waxpak is a feature of The Record Searchlight in Redding, Calif.)

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)