For a century now, Major League baseball teams have signed baseballs in their clubhouses. At first they were signed in very small numbers to commemorate a successful season, and gradually they came to be produced by all teams as mementos. Now widely collected, those baseballs—called “team baseballs” or “team balls”—are the subject of a new book by John M. Mitnick and James J. Spence, Jr., titled Team Baseballs: Artifacts of the Game (Artifact Publishing, McLean, Virginia).
With over 150 full color illustrations, Team Baseballs takes a comprehensive, informative, and entertaining look at these artifacts of baseball history, intended for collectors at all levels and baseball fans and historians. The authors cover the definition, history, classification, authentication, grading, valuation, acquisition, preservation, and storage of team balls. The controversial topic of “clubhouse signatures”—player “signatures” forged by clubhouse employees—is also given a thorough treatment. A Gallery is included, with photographs of 45 historically significant championship and All-Star team balls from 1920 through 2008, featuring hundreds of authentic signatures including Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mel Ott, Jackie Robinson, Walter Johnson, Hank Greenberg, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Hank Aaron, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Roy Campanella, Sandy Koufax, Roberto Clemente, Willie Mays, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Roger Maris, Thurman Munson, and many other greats of the game.
The authors’ expertise is unmatched in this area. Mr. Mitnick, a division general counsel at a Fortune 100 company who formerly served in the White House as an associate counsel to President George W. Bush, has collected team balls for nearly two decades and has one of the finest collections in the country. Mr. Spence is a professional autograph authenticator with over 30 years of sports memorabilia industry experience, who numbers among his many clients major auction houses as well as law enforcement agencies and insurance companies.
Among the praise already garnered by Team Baseballs, John Thorn, renowned baseball historian and author of Total Baseball, writes: “From the gilded trophy balls of the Civil War era to the team-signed balls from last year’s World Series, the inscribed baseball has been a way to mark a team and a season so as to defy the passage of time. Whether you collect team-signed baseballs, or intend to buy one, or only admire them from afar, this is the book for you. Authors Mitnick and Spence are the experts and will steer you clear of forgeries, facsimile balls, deceptive clubhouse signers, and a severe case of buyer’s remorse.”
Marty Appel, author of Munson: The Life and Death of a Yankee Captain, writes: "Team baseballs have always been a fascinating element of collecting because of the potential for forensics—you can often nail the exact date the ball was signed. John and Jim have delivered an authoritative look at this subject in a very entertaining way."
Other endorsements:
"Like broadcasters and ballparks, autographed baseballs forge connecting tissue between the public and The Game. The balls depicted in the many color illustrations evoke some of the greatest events and personalities in baseball history. A terrific book—and trip down memory lane."
—Curt Smith, author of Voices of The Game
and Storied Stadiums
"John Mitnick and James Spence have provided a detailed instructive guide for collecting team-signed baseballs. Collecting these gems can be tricky—this book will show you how to avoid the many pitfalls."
—Peter Golenbock, author of Dynasty:
The New York Yankees, 1949-1964
The book has been added to the collection of the National Baseball Hall of Fame Library in Cooperstown: http://abner.baseballhalloffame.org/search~S1?/tteam+baseballs/tteam+baseballs/1%2C2%2C2%2CB/frameset&FF=tteam+baseballs+artifacts+of+the+game&1%2C1%2C
To purchase Team Baseballs, click here: www.spenceloa.com/network.asp
If you prefer to purchase the book from Amazon, click here: http://www.amazon.com/Team-Baseballs-Mitnick-James-Spence/dp/0615366287/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1280440746&sr=1-1
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