how many items signed by babe ruth do you believe...

[J.O.]

are in existence?
i don't mean cut signature cards, i mean pieces with his signature that are available to the public. (aka anything he signed like a bill that is stored way in a company's records wouldn't count)

random, i know. I was just curious as to how many items he has out there. credit cards didn't realyly become popular until the 50's, after his death, so any time he ate at a restaurant or made a purchase he never had to sign any kind of receipt.

 

[Sean_C]

No, he just had to sign a menu for the restaurant, a few napkins for the other patrons, and then whatever else may have been waiting for him on the outside once word got out that the Bambino was in the neighborhood.

Babe Ruth signed more items than any other person alive during his time. His signature is not rare, just expensive. Granted more modern players like Mantle, Mays, Aaron, and current players like Griffey and Jeter have probably signed twice as much due to the production-line esque way the hobby is, but in terms of stopping on the street types of signing, Babe beat them all.

are in existence?
i don't mean cut signature cards, i mean pieces with his signature that are available to the public. (aka anything he signed like a bill that is stored way in a company's records wouldn't count)

random, i know. I was just curious as to how many items he has out there. credit cards didn't realyly become popular until the 50's, after his death, so any time he ate at a restaurant or made a purchase he never had to sign any kind of receipt.

 

[ThoseBackPages]

about 15% of the Mantle output

 

[19braves77]

No, he just had to sign a menu for the restaurant, a few napkins for the other patrons, and then whatever else may have been waiting for him on the outside once word got out that the Bambino was in the neighborhood.

Babe Ruth signed more items than any other person alive during his time. His signature is not rare, just expensive. Granted more modern players like Mantle, Mays, Aaron, and current players like Griffey and Jeter have probably signed twice as much due to the production-line esque way the hobby is, but in terms of stopping on the street types of signing, Babe beat them all.

[quote="J.O.":2cqw47ff]are in existence?
i don't mean cut signature cards, i mean pieces with his signature that are available to the public. (aka anything he signed like a bill that is stored way in a company's records wouldn't count)

random, i know. I was just curious as to how many items he has out there. credit cards didn't realyly become popular until the 50's, after his death, so any time he ate at a restaurant or made a purchase he never had to sign any kind of receipt.

[/quote:2cqw47ff]

but people didn't take care of autographs that well until the late 70's. People are always joking about the large amount of items that Bob Feller and Brooks Robinson have signed over the years but people will be shocked 20 years from now just how bad people store their autographs and the amount of poor items they had the players sign.

 

[LWMM]

 

[G $MONEY$]

 

[Sean_C]

It's certainly true that not as many survived due to poor preservation and handling over the years. That wasn't the question though, it was how many did he sign.

No, he just had to sign a menu for the restaurant, a few napkins for the other patrons, and then whatever else may have been waiting for him on the outside once word got out that the Bambino was in the neighborhood.

Babe Ruth signed more items than any other person alive during his time. His signature is not rare, just expensive. Granted more modern players like Mantle, Mays, Aaron, and current players like Griffey and Jeter have probably signed twice as much due to the production-line esque way the hobby is, but in terms of stopping on the street types of signing, Babe beat them all.

[quote="J.O.":1xpnkwvk]are in existence?
i don't mean cut signature cards, i mean pieces with his signature that are available to the public. (aka anything he signed like a bill that is stored way in a company's records wouldn't count)

random, i know. I was just curious as to how many items he has out there. credit cards didn't realyly become popular until the 50's, after his death, so any time he ate at a restaurant or made a purchase he never had to sign any kind of receipt.

but people didn't take care of autographs that well until the late 70's. People are always joking about the large amount of items that Bob Feller and Brooks Robinson have signed over the years but people will be shocked 20 years from now just how bad people store their autographs and the amount of poor items they had the players sign.[/quote:1xpnkwvk]

 

[predatorkj]

I'd say there are a ton out there but with the historic value of them and the legendary status they carry...its why they are hard to actually see or find. And if you do find them...you can't afford them.

 

[Lancemountain]

I'd say there are a ton out there but with the historic value of them and the legendary status they carry...its why they are hard to actually see or find. And if you do find them...you can't afford them.

My mother always told us (my brothers and sisters) that as a young girl she sat on Ruth's lap in a restaurant and has a picture and an autographed napkin to prove it (she was from new york)

No one believed her, and lo and behold we went into the safety deposit box and there the napkin was, and still is. No picture of her and the Babe though. My older brother saw it when he went there with my dad, so I can't say how it looks, but I'd imagine it's pretty rough.

Still cool.

 

[J.O.]

i actually meant how many are in existence today? i'm sure many have been misplaced throughout the years. Would you say that there are less than 10,000 items signed by babe ruth in existence? (napkins/books/cards/baseballs/etc)

 

[Sean_C]

More than 10,000 exant to this day. I'd say that at least 1,000 pass through the major reputable auctions a year.

i actually meant how many are in existence today? i'm sure many have been misplaced throughout the years. Would you say that there are less than 10,000 items signed by babe ruth in existence? (napkins/books/cards/baseballs/etc)

 

[jrinne]

Im sure there are hundreds of thousand of autographs out there. The reason I say that is because I use to work with a women who told me that her father gave her 4 Vince Lombardi autographs before he died. I asked her if she had them in a safe in a bank and she told me they kept them in the garage. After I told her what they could be worth she said she better get them out of the garage right away. She had no idea what she had so Im going to guess there are a lot of people out there who are in the same position.

 

[predatorkj]

Im sure there are hundreds of thousand of autographs out there. The reason I say that is because I use to work with a women who told me that her father gave her 4 Vince Lombardi autographs before he died. I asked her if she had them in a safe in a bank and she told me they kept them in the garage. After I told her what they could be worth she said she better get them out of the garage right away. She had no idea what she had so Im going to guess there are a lot of people out there who are in the same position.

Doubtful with a guy like Ruth.


One thing I always found odd was the random occurence of people moving into an old house and finding an auto'd baseball stuck in between the wall. What a hell of a place to find one. If I remember correctly...a Ruth ball has been found this very exact way.

 

[matfanofold]

I agree that there is probablly in excess of 100,000++. unfortunately most of them probablly reside in personal collections never having seen the day of light since the 30's except when handed down from family to family. He was constantly surrounded by mobs of people seeking an autograph since his early baseball days and for the rest of his life, and all accounts point to him being a very generous signer throughout! Infact, I'd say 100,000+ is a conservative estimate. Now, how many are on or available to the open market? Thats a whole different question all together, but I would think between online retailers, auctions, private auctions, and shops/shows, ect.. I would wager there is a coupple thousand at any given time readily available.