Famous Signed Baseballs

Baseball legends

• Great players from the past like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Ty Cobb and Josh Gibson still hold positions of esteem on the sports pantheon. An autographed Ruth baseball can be worth anywhere between $1,500 and $10,000, and autographs from the other stars are only slightly less. Ruth's autograph was unique, especially on baseballs he signed before 1928. In those years, Ruth put quotation marks around his signature.

  Gehrig was known as the Iron Horse and may have been the most consistent player of his generation.

  Ty Cobb was a ferocious and hateful competitor who is the game's all-time leading hitter for average.

  Josh Gibson was the most legendary slugger in the history of the Negro Leagues.

Romanticized players

• The most beloved group of players may have played in the 1950s and 1960s. Start with Yankee centerfielder Joe DiMaggio, who became the key line in the Simon and Garfunkel song "Mrs. Robinson" in the mid-1960s -- more than 15 years after his retirement -- when Paul Simon penned the line "Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio, a nation turns its lonely eyes to you." DiMaggio shied away from signing autographs, and his signature on a baseball is worth as much as $3,000.

  Mickey Mantle took over for DiMaggio in centerfield for the Yankees and may have been the most popular player ever. His autograph on a baseball is worth more than $2,500.

  Giant centerfielder Willie Mays may be the greatest all-around player in baseball history, and his autographed baseball can complete any collection.

Modern players

• Modern players like Derek Jeter, Manny Ramirez, Pedro Martinez and Albert Pujols may be even more famous well after retirement than they are in the midst of their celebrated careers. Collecting their autograph on a baseball while in the midst of their careers can pay dividends down the road because baseball autographs tend to increase in value with the passage of time.