Posted 10 years ago
LarsFromGe…
(1 item)
my name is Lars and I live in Germany. While cleaning up the basement of my parents house I found an old american baseball with lots of signatures on it. It must have once belonged to my dad's aunt who met a US soldier after the war and moved with him to the states. She lived in New Jersey until she died in 1996. I seem to remember having heard the name "Mets" when I was a kid but I'm not sure whether that's where the baseball comes from.
can anyone identify from when exactly this ball originates and whose signatures are on it (as far as they are visible on the attached photos)?
Warren Giles signature Pres. is name on front .
He was President of the National League (1951–1969 and President of Cincinnati Reds prior so it was one of those time frames .
Can read about him below
http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/mlb/nl/giles.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1969_New_York_Mets_season
Lars,
Your ball is definately a N.Y. Mets team signed ball. Based on the signatures I can make out, it should be from 1965. The clear names that I can read on picture 1: Jim Bethke, Ed Kranepool and Charlie Smith. On picture 2: Gary Kroll. On picture 3: Warren Spahn. Both Spahn and Bethke only played for the Mets in 1965, therefore the date. Spahn is certainly the best name on the ball and is in the Baseball Hall of Fame; 1965 was his last year playing baseball.
The 1965 Mets were a terrible team. You can find out more about them at the link below and maybe make out a few more names.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/NYM/1965.shtml
The condition of the ball is good but the signatures are pretty faded. 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 lack of star players and condition, it might be worth $100-$200 to the right person. Hope this helps.
Thanks a million! Great to know where it comes from. I'll keep it in honor.
Have a good summer and best regards from Germany!
I see Don Heffner signed he was the coach on 3rd base I see his name 1964-1965 for Mets .
Manikin,
I thought that was Don Heffner too but could not find his name on the roster or a coaches list. One more note about the date and team: Bethke only played one year in the major leagues (1965 for the Mets). So the ball has to be from the 1965 Mets team.
Lars,
Definitely a great story. Enjoy it. It's a cool find for a basement in Germany. Strange how things can travel the world!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Heffner
here it is Lars :-)
becoming third-base coach of the New York Mets in 1964–1965.
http://www.rndng3rd.com/NYMHall/players/H/donhef.html