If you are a baseball fanatic – and even if you’re not, it is common knowledge that Babe Ruth is widely considered the best baseball player of all time. Sure you can argue certain points, but when it comes down to it he still remains the most popular name in baseball history.

At first thought on may think that a baseball signed by the Babe would be a hard item to come by. Truth be told, it is easier than you may think to find a signed babe Ruth baseball. There are probably a couple of different reasons for this.

1) Ruth was immensely popular from the moment he started playing up to present day.  He was known to stop in the middle of whatever he was doing just to sign baseballs. While there are not thousands left, there is still a good number of them available.

2) Getting an autograph was different back then. Ruth was willing to give autographs anywhere and everywhere. Many of today’s athletes are not nearly as approachable.

Despite the fact that signed Ruth baseballs are not that hard to come by, they remain one of the most popular – if not the most popular, collectors item around. Serious collectors are willing to go to great lengths to find one and pay huge amounts to purchase a high quality signed Babe Ruth baseball.

Make no mistake; if you are in the market for a baseball signed by Babe Ruth, then you are probably going to pay a pretty penny for it. There are also many team-signed baseballs from the Ruth era that will run you quite a bit of money as well.

The 1927 Yankees – or “Murderers’ Row,” as they were named are widely considered the best baseball team ever. If you got your hands on a baseball singed by the entire team, you would be holding something that would be nearly priceless in many collectors eyes.  Ruth and Lou Gehrig along with the other Hall of Famers on the team by which all others are measured, make it a fantastic item.

How much should you pay for a signed Babe Ruth baseball?  It depends on several factors including condition, the quality of the ball, readability of the signature and, of course, provenance/authenticity.  Some authentic Ruth signed balls sell for around $3000.  One or two others, stuck in drawers and never touched over the decades, have brought as much as $80,000.   A readable, authentic Ruth ball, signed on the sweet spot (narrowest point between the laces) generally runs about $6-10,000.  Beyond authenticity, condition is everything.

In addition to autographed items from all eras, and signed photos of legends such as Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth, the collection of hobby pioneer Larry Killeen, assembled with great care over a span of decades beginning in the 1950s, will be featured.

The collection includes thousands of autographs and is especially noteworthy for its remarkable level of quality throughout and its inclusion of hundreds of Hall of Fame signatures, including checks, photos, letters, and one of the most advanced collections of signed Hall of Fame postcards ever assembled.

The auction also presents an extremely impressive collection of particularly rare and noteworthy single-signed Hall of Fame balls, including Warren Giles, Chuck Klein, Ed Walsh, Bill Klem, Tom Connolly Willie Wells, Hilton Smith, Elmer Flick, Tris Speaker, Harry Hooper, Chick Hafey, and Sam Crawford, in addition to spectacular high-grade examples of Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb.

The ball had originally been presented to former Washington Senators’ manager Mickey Vernon during one of JFK’s opening day first pitch tosses between 1961 and ‘63. The family of the late big leaguer consigned the ball and a number of other items to the auction.

The final bid, including a 15% buyer’s premium, was $26,450.

The ball was personalized to Vernon and had faded a bit over the years.

A game bat signed by Joe DiMaggio and presented to Vernon in the early 1950s, sold for $35,650, the top price among the 800+ items sold by the auction house.

A baseball in superior condition, signed by Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris brought $15,306 while a ball signed by 13 members of the 1930 Yankees including Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, sold for $9200.

While signed baseballs from Kennedy are extremely rare, players like Mantle signed thousands–especially after their playing days ended. Mantle was a regular on the sports card show circuit throughout the mid-1980s to early 90s.

Despite the large number of signed Mickey Mantle baseballs on the market, the demand still outweighs the supply in most cases. Mantle balls are among the most counterfeited, however, so collectors and fans are encouraged to buy only those carrying professional authentication.

Among the items up for bid will be a Hall of Famers Single Signed Baseballs Collection (56) Including Campanella, DiMaggio and Mantle autographed baseballs.

This collection of 56 single signed OAL, ONL, and OML balls each bears either a blue or black ballpoint autograph from a Hall of Fame inductee. The spheres are moderately toned to white examples, with the scriptings averaging “7-9”. Signed baseballs include: Aaron, Campanella, DiMaggio (“HOF 55”), Drysdale, Koufax, Mantle, and Musial. Minimum bid $1,500.

1934 Tour of Japan Vintage Signed Baseball (16 Signatures) Including Ruth, Gehrig, Foxx and Berg. The autographed baseball boasts sixteen black ink “Tour” signatures averaging about “5-8″ in terms of strength and clarity. The ball’s sweet spot is occupied by Babe Ruth (“6″). On other panels are Cascarella (Joe), Frank O’Doul (“7″), Lou Gehrig (“7-8″), Whitehill (Earl), Connie Mack (“7″), Moe Berg (“7″), Rabbit Warstler, Doc Ebling (trainer), John Quinn (umpire), Clint Brown, Eric McNair, Frankie Hayes, Jimmie Foxx (“8″), Lefty Gomez and Earl Averill. Minimum bid $1,000.

1914 New York Giants Team Signed Ball (10 Signatures) Including Mathewson, McGraw and Thorpe. Signature highlights on this unofficial “National League” ball include Christy Mathewson, John McGraw, Jim Thorpe and Chief Myers (signed “J.T. Myers”). All have significant fading, with Mathewson rating “2-3” strength, Myers projecting “2”, and McGraw and Thorpe assessing “1-2”. Most of the other names have faded into obscurity. Finding Mathewson’s signature on a team ball—let alone acquiring the ball—can constitute a lifelong quest for the most ardent collector. Minimum bid $1,000.

Doug Allen, CEO and president of Legendary Auctions, was pleased and encouraged with the auction results because it gave collectors access to never before seen items while rewarding consignors appropriately. “Even in this difficult economy, I think the results are extremely telling about the potential of the industry when a top quality event, packed with high-end material reaches our customer base,” said Allen. “It seems, at least in our auction, the economy took a back seat to the collecting instinct.”

Significant items from Bob Gibson’s personal baseball collection were included in the recent Legendary Auctions Live Sports event. Not surprisingly, said Allen, those items were among the ones with the highest prices realized. “Gibson is one of the most talented and respected pitchers in baseball history,” said Allen. “In addition, Bob is just a well-liked guy. The combination of extraordinary talent and off-field congeniality is a hard for collectors to resist.”

In addition, Allen said the Gibson portion of the auction was fueled by an extensive public relations push in the St. Louis area during All-Star Week. “One St. Louis local who heard about the auction from our media efforts spent six figures,” said Allen.

The top prices realized for items from Bob Gibson’s personal collection include:

* Bob Gibson’s 1968 National League MVP Award – acknowledging one of the best single season pitching performances in history realized a final price of $120,000;
* Bob Gibson’s 1968 Cy Young Award from his incredible 1.12 ERA season commanded $84,000;
* Bob Gibson’s 2006 St. Louis Cardinals World Championship ring sold for $57,000;
* Bob Gibson’s 1967 World Championship ring – awarded after winning three games and posting a series ERA of 1.00 sold for $54,000;
* Bob Gibson’s personal Hall of Fame plaque – awarded at his induction went for $45,000;
* Bob Gibson’s 1981 Hall of Fame induction ring went for $30,000;
* Bob Gibson’s “All Century Team” collection (7 items) – bestowed upon the Top 30 of the 20th century’s best players went for $19,200;
* Bob Gibson’s 1971 Gold Glove Award went for $16,800;

* Bob Gibson’s “First Major League Victory” game used ball – the only one he kept went for $12,000;
* Bob Gibson’s game used glove sold for $9,000;
* Bob Gibson’s 1959 St. Louis Cardinals contract – his rookie season sold for $5,400 and;
* Bob Gibson’s 1968 St. Louis Cardinals contract – from his historic MVP and Cy Young season went for $4,500.

Allen and the ecstatic winning bidders weren’t the only ones happy with the outcome of the recent Legendary Auctions Live Sports sale. Dick Zitzman, Bob Gibson’s representative said that his client was also pleased with the results of the auction. “The sale allows Bob to participate at a higher level to a charity he cares deeply about,” said Zitzman. Part of the proceeds from the auction will benefit the Baseball Assistance Team (B.A.T.), an organization that helps baseball families who have fallen upon hard times.

The Bill Hoffer Collection was another group of items that attracted considerable attention in the Legendary Auctions Live Sports Auction event. Acquired directly from the family of the 19th century baseball player, the collection featured extraordinary items enhanced with iron-clad provenance. This resulted in a record-setting price for a non-Hall of Fame player’s jersey. A spectacular circa 1895 Baltimore complete uniform worn by Bill Hoffer (including shirt, pants, belt, cleats and leggings) sold for a stunning $105,000. Other notable record-breaking prices set during Legendary Auctions Live Sports sale include the highest price ever paid for a restored card. A restored 1909 T206 Honus Wagner baseball card sold for $222,000. Also, a rare 1903 World Series Program at Boston set a public auction record by commanding $105,000.

Other auction highlights include: a Roberto Clemente 1966 Pittsburgh Pirates game used home jersey and pants – from his MVP season realized a final price of $69,000; a phenomenal Mickey Mantle 1966 H&B game used bat – graded PSA DNA GU-10 – one of the finest Mantle gamers in existence sold for $57,000; 1911 Western Playground Association SGC-graded collection (12 different) sold for $42,000; rare 1874 Warren CDV’s of George and Harry Wright (2 items) – featuring both Hall of Famers in uniform sold for $39,000; a significant 1895 Baltimore pennant winning game ball sold for $28,800; Bill Hoffer’s 1897 Baltimore player contract – signed by Ned Hanlon went for $27,600; a Babe Ruth 1931 signed letter to a friend – incredible content: baseball and beer went for $25,200; Bill Hoffer’s circa 1895 Baltimore sweater went for $24,000; an 1895 Baltimore Base Ball Club “Champions” Imperial Cabinet photograph – featuring seven Hall of Famers went for $21,600; a Babe Ruth Early 1940s signed oversized studio photograph – PSA DNA MINT 9 commanded $16,800; and an 1895 Temple Cup Championship series program at Baltimore sold for $10,800.

“Overall, we are thrilled with the results of the auction and by the response of our bidders to the live auction format,” said Allen. “Our goal is to provide the best material in the best manner possible to produce a rewarding experience for both our consignors and bidders. This event obviously delivered on all levels.”