1931 Tour of Japan Signed Ball?? Help Please

[Misha]

This is currently on sale for another 3 days. What do you think? The signatures look the same as other balls I found online that have sold at auction. What would be a realistic price if it were real?

[Misha]

More photos

[Misha]

Seems like the whole team signed the ball including the trainer and umpire.

Lou Gehrig
Ralph Shinners
Al Simmons
Herb Hunter
Lefty Grove
Rabbit Maranville
Willie Kamm
Frank O'Doul
Muddy Ruel
Larry French
Billy Cunningham
Tom Oliver
George Kelly
Mickey Cochran (maybe upside down under Kelly?)
Dr. Leonard Knowles (Team Trainer)
John Reardon (umpire)

[Misha]

Just to clarify, this is being sold here in Japan where I live. The owner doesn't seem to know any of the players except Gehrig, since in his posting he is asking viewers of the auction to let him know more names if possible. Bidding started at roughly $100, and is now at roughly $2700 with 65 bids and 3 days to go. No PSA etc since this is a ball that apparently has been kept here in Japan since it was originally signed.

[buc]

Just to clarify, this is being sold here in Japan where I live. The owner doesn't seem to know any of the players except Gehrig, since in his posting he is asking viewers of the auction to let him know more names if possible. Bidding started at roughly $100, and is now at roughly $2700 with 65 bids and 3 days to go. No PSA etc since this is a ball that apparently has been kept here in Japan since it was originally signed.

Misha,
Just saw this post...did you buy the ball? Just wondering, as this is a great piece and, IMHO, the autographs are real.

[Misha]

Yes I did, I didn't receive too much feedback from here and I didn't have time to register at Net54 which is more in the vintage area, but I did a lot of comparing to the sigs on the previously auctioned balls and went for it.

Not cheap, but I certainly think I got a good deal. I want to keep it, but I don't want to damage the ball in any way. I haven't even touched it. It's in a Japanese wooden box at the moment. Seems a shame to keep it locked up in a safety deposit box unseen. Are there any ball cubes that can preserve and protect a ball like this?

[joelsabi]

Yes I did, I didn't receive too much feedback from here and I didn't have time to register at Net54 which is more in the vintage area, but I did a lot of comparing to the sigs on the previously auctioned balls and went for it.

Not cheap, but I certainly think I got a good deal. I want to keep it, but I don't want to damage the ball in any way. I haven't even touched it. It's in a Japanese wooden box at the moment. Seems a shame to keep it locked up in a safety deposit box unseen. Are there any ball cubes that can preserve and protect a ball like this?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Steiner-Collectible-UV-Glass-Baseball-Display-Case-/130896284634?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e7a06cbda

Maybe something like this with UV protection if you want to display it otherwise why not just keep it in the wooden box. Its current environment kept the signature in that pristine condition. It looks amazing.

Can you provide a link to this Japanese auction house?

[Misha]

Thanks for the info Joel. The site I got it from is not an auction house. It's Yahoo Auctions Japan (you can google it). Like eBay, which doesn't exist in Japan basically. Keep in mind though that it's only in Japanese and sellers don't sell abroad. You also need to live in Japan to register.

There are middlemen who help people who want to buy, for a fee of course. I would be willing to help anyone who had a specific interest.

[Zeenuts]

I am interested in Japanese bamboo/paper baseball fans which have photographs of players, preferably with their identification, and other Japanese baseball-related items. I've bought some of the fans in Japan but find them difficult to find.

Please contact me if you might be able to assist. I am quite confident that Yahoo Japan may have items I am searching for.

Thank you.

[Misha]

I am interested in Japanese bamboo/paper baseball fans which have photographs of players, preferably with their identification, and other Japanese baseball-related items. I've bought some of the fans in Japan but find them difficult to find.

Please contact me if you might be able to assist. I am quite confident that Yahoo Japan may have items I am searching for.

Thank you.

Hi, tried to send you a PM but your settings don't allow it. Please adjust that or let me know an address for you. As long as you let me know exactly what you are looking for, I would be happy to assist. I will be coming to the US Dec 25th, so if there is something easy and quick for me to grab in Tokyo by then, I could bring it with me, which would save on international postage.

Regards, Michelle

[esigs]

There are middlemen who help people who want to buy, for a fee of course. I would be willing to help anyone who had a specific interest.

Hi Michelle, have you seen ticket stubs from the 2013 World Baseball Classic from Pool A played in Fukuoka being sold on Yahoo Auctions? I tried to search the site, and I saw a few ticket stubs, but since I can't read Japanese, I wasn't sure they were the actual tickets or replica tickets. I'm particularly interested on the March 3, 2013 game between Cuba vs Brazil, but would consider other game from that pool. I appreciate if you can look it up for me. Thank you.

[Zeenuts]

Michelle,

I can be reached through Zeenuts@hawaii.rr.com. As you can see, I am in Hawaii and not the continental US.

I am also interested in other more unusual Japanese players-from-Hawaii memorabilia for individuals such as Tadashi Bozo Wakabayashi, Mamoru Sugitaya, Fujio Ueda, Yoshio Kaiser Tanaka, Kaname Yonamine, Andy Miyamoto, etc.

There is no rush as I can provide you with a more extensive listing of players of interest and the kinds of memorabilia I would be interested in. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you.

Nelson

[PlayerDirectP]

Hey,

Heritage Auctions has an ONL baseball signed by the 1931 team up for auction in February. I believe they are separate balls but they don't have pictures up. I know the auction has already ended, but this will give you the value if it ever comes back up. The ball they have they say has 15 signatures and is signed on an OAL ball.

Phil

[Misha]

Hi, sent replies to esigs and zeenuts at your email addresses. I'll look out for you, but if you find something on the site yourself but need more info/translation, or for me to actually bid on something for you, let me know at the address I mailed you from.

Phil, Thanks for that, I hadn't noticed. I'll check it out. I've found prices for auctions in the past for varying quality balls. Will be interesting to see a current valuation for that ball, and compare it's condition