George Sosnak Baseballs & Hank Aaron-signed Photo
GUEST: Well, we brought a couple of baseballs and a picture from my grandfather's collection. I'm not really sure when he got these. Unfortunately, before he passed away, he did not tell us a lot about them. We kind of found them once he was gone. He passed away about 21 years ago.
APPRAISER: Okay.
GUEST: So we've had 'em since then.
APPRAISER: So tell us more about your grandfather, who was he?
GUEST: Well, his name was Bill Campbell. He was Mr. Baseball at Boise. So he worked to help bring the Braves organization to Boise. Over time, the Braves kind of left, and, and, and things didn't go well. And then in 1989, he brought the Boise Hawks organization.
APPRAISER: Yeah.
GUEST: And of course, when they first started, they were... I believe it's a California Angels-affiliated team. So they were a, a single A team. And so we had professional baseball in Boise ever since. These balls were from his collection, and we don't know a lot. They seem to be painted. One of them is personalized to my grandfather. It says "To Bill Campbell" on it.
APPRAISER: And do we have a photo of your grandfather here today?
GUEST: We do, actually, this is, this is my grandfather, Bill Campbell, and of course, he is meeting a famous baseball player there. He signed the picture to him, and we don't really know what year that was. We think it was in the late '50s when he came to town.
APPRAISER: So the two baseballs are by n, noted artist George Sosnak. Besides LeRoy Neiman, George Sosnak is the one that you want.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: He's the baseball artist that everybody loves. He was an umpire, he was a player. He loved the game, loved the players, and he was meticulous. On this ball, which is Roger Maris, we not only had his signature...
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: ...we have images of him playing. We have stats from 1961. You know what's important about 1961?
GUEST: Some big home run thing, yes.
APPRAISER: He hit 61 home runs in 1961...
GUEST: Yes, yeah.
APPRAISER: ...to break Babe Ruth's record. But my favorite part about this is, you have an inscription.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: And it says that it's from Roger Maris to your grandfather. You have one of the best athletes, Roger Maris, you have one of the best events in baseball, which is hitting 61 home runs in a single season...
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: ...and it's dedicated to your grandfather. So let's talk about the 1958 Boise Braves. Now, the Boise Braves was a Pioneer League team.
GUEST: Correct.
APPRAISER: So that was an affiliate of the MLB.
GUEST: Mm-hmm, correct.
APPRAISER: And they were associated with the Milwaukee Braves at the time.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: And so, and the Boise Braves were running about 1955 to 1963.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: And again, inscribed to your grandfather. Now, the Boise Braves image, let's talk about that, 'cause that was normal back then, but today we see it through different eyes. It's a negative caricature.
GUEST: Certainly.
APPRAISER: And that's not how we want to represent American Indians. And we're seeing teams change their names. Now, the Boise Braves were an affiliate of the Milwaukee Braves, which now became the Atlanta Braves.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: And they haven't changed their name yet, but we have seen the Cleveland Indians change to the Cleveland Guardians. And then we have a fantastic black-and-white photograph of Hank Aaron.
GUEST: Yep.
APPRAISER: And what's Hank Aaron known for?
GUEST: Big slugger. (laughs)
APPRAISER: He's a big slugger, too.
GUEST: Yep, absolutely.
APPRAISER: And he also broke Babe Ruth's record, but his all-time home run record. So bringing these to auction, they would probably sell best if you sold them individually. At auction today...
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: ...the Roger Maris ball could bring $15,000 to $20,000.
GUEST: (chuckling): Whoa. (chuckles): Oh, my goodness, wow. Unreal.
APPRAISER: And I would insure it for $30,000.
GUEST: Okay. Okay, that's good to know.
APPRAISER: Now, your Boise Braves ball... Mm-hmm. ...it would bring $1,500 to $2,000 at auction.
GUEST: Wow. Okay, unbelievable.
APPRAISER: An... An insurance value would be about $4,000.
GUEST: Okay, wonderful.
APPRAISER: Now let's talk about the photograph. At auction today, it would be $100 to $200 for it.
GUEST: Okay, okay.
APPRAISER: Because it's still an early photograph of Hank Aaron, it's great.
GUEST: Right. Yes. Well, we'll definitely hold on to that one, for sure, so... Sure!
$16,600 Auction
$34,200 Insurance
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Understanding Our Appraisals
Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."
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