Posted 11 years ago
huey
(52 items)
this ball was given to a freind of mine by the late johnny oates some twenty years ago and he gave it to me because i was a orioles fan.i dont
know the history behind it but has names like boog powell,johnny oats,earl weaver,doyle alexander,paul blair,don buford,jim palmer,and mark belanger along with a bunch others that are hard to read.would love any info anyone might have . thanks
Huey,
Your ball is definately a Baltimore Orioles team signed ball. Based on the signatures, it should be from 1972. All the names on the ball played from the late 60s to early 70s. You can narrow it down to 1972 for a few of reasons.
1. Johnny Oates only played for the Orioles in 1970 and 1972. Spent 1971 in the minors.
2. Tom Shopay (signaure on image 1 - forth down) only played for the Orioles in 1971 and 1972.
3. No Frank Robinson signature. Frank played for Baltimore from 1966 to 1971.
The names that I can read include
Picture 1: Boog Powell, Bobby Grich, Johnny Oates, Tom Shopay, Mark Belanger, George Bamberger (coach), and George Staller (coach)
Picture 2: Jim Frey (coach), Paul Blair, Don Baylor, and Don Buford
Picture 3: Earl Weaver (manager), Billy Hunter (coach), Jim Palmer (left side of ball), Brooks Robinson (bottom), and Merv Rettenmund (top).
The 1972 Orioles were an OK team after having gone to the previous three World Series (69-71). You can find out more about them at the link below and maybe make out a few more names that are not visible in the scans.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BAL/1972.shtml
The condition of the ball is excellent and should be saved. Best thing to do is to put it in a ball holder case and keep it out of direct light to preserve the signatures. Don't apply any preservative to the ball.
As far as value, it is tough to know for sure. Team signed balls were often done by clubhouse attendants and bat boys, but these signatures seem legitimate. Based on the star players, Hall of Famers, and condition, it might be worth $200-$400 to the right person. Hope this helps.
thanks for the info and it is keeped in a display box