JSA Identifies Counterfeit Signed Babe Ruth Baseball at The National

CGC and JSA just wrapped up another successful installation of the hobby's biggest sports memorabilia show: The 46th National Sports Collectors Convention. Thousands of collectors stopped by the CGC and JSA booth to check out all of the excitement over the five-day event, with many submitting their prized cards and signed memorabilia for authentication, including a submission of a baseball that was allegedly autographed by New York Yankees legend Babe Ruth.

JSA Senior Vice President James Spence III was in attendance at The National in Rosemont, Illinois, where the JSA team hit the ground running with a powerful lineup of submissions that included the heavily shellacked Babe Ruth signed baseball, which was brought to the JSA booth on day one. Upon initial inspection, the JSA team noticed several red flags in the signature mechanics.

Upon close inspection, hesitant stroke work, irregular slant, and unnatural pen lifts suggested someone used the heavy shellac to obscure the panels beneath. To see past the varnish, the JSA team put the baseball under a Video Spectral Comparator (VSC), using multi-spectral UV lighting to bypass the surface layer completely. The specialized lighting revealed the hidden original manufacturing stamp: a Reach Official American League baseball stamped with AL President Joseph Cronin.

This hidden detail placed the baseball's production between 1959 and 1970, confirming that it was not signed by Ruth. Since the Great Bambino passed away in 1948, the VSC gave the JSA team open-and-shut forensic proof of an impossible timeline, perfectly highlighting how JSA pairs sharp expert eyes with cutting-edge technology to protect the hobby.

JSA is the most trusted autograph authentication service in the industry — and for good reason. Although disappointing for the submitter who thought they might have an autographed ball of the Yankees legend, JSA experts were able to identify the counterfeit item so it could be removed from circulation, making it a safer community for all sports autograph collectors.

About JSA

JSA was founded in 2005 by James Spence, Jr., and today is recognized everywhere as the premier autograph authentication service for all types of collectibles, with a particularly esteemed reputation in the sports collecting world. In the last two decades, JSA has certified millions of autographs and in the process has built the world’s largest autograph database of nearly 1 million images encompassing virtually every known person. JSA uses this extraordinary database alongside deep expertise and state-of-the-art equipment to maintain unparalleled accuracy in autograph authentication.