Matty '05 World Series ball called 'fake'

LAS VEGAS -- The purported Christy Mathewson game ball from the 1905 World Series has been withdrawn from an upcoming sale by American Memorabilia. Auction officials have determined the ball is "a fake." Victor Moreno of American Memorabilia told Sweet Spot Online that authenticator Richard Simon of New York determined that the ball could not date to 1905 since it was a John Heydler baseball. Baseballs stamped with Heydler's name as president of the National League weren't introduced until 1919, he said. The ball has garnered a nice history of news coverage over the years, which provided provenance for the ball. It also gave a Florida consignor hope for a six-figure payout. The auction is scheduled for Feb. 28, but the ball signed with a likeness of Mathewson's autograph and a real Roger Bresnahan signature that rates a 3 on a scale of 10 won't be part of it. Simon said he immediately had doubts about the signature when he first saw the ball, citing several major flaws. Perhaps Mathewson had a bit too much sauce in celebrating the Giants '05 victory over the Philadelphia Athletics, he figured. After further study, he was certain the signature was just plain bad. The auction house originally believed the provenance of the ball. So did auction giants Christie's and Sotheby's. The story went as follows: Christy Mathewson's final strike in the 1905 World Series was caught and kept by catcher Bresnahan, who supposedly had his pitcher sign the sphere later. Bresnahan hit .315 in the Series; and Mathewson pitched a record three shutouts, an accomplishment that capped a 31-win season. Years later, Bresnahan gave the ball to the son of a friend, who was a batboy for a Toledo team he coached. Fast forward 75 years. The granddaughter of that lucky recipient found the ball and learned of its history. "The consignor is totally innocent on this," Simon said. "Bresnahan told them the story all of these years. He probably thought he was doing something nice for this kid, making him believe he had something truly valuable. The consignor is still in a state of disbelief. She was totally stunned." Moreno was disappointed he had to pull the item from the sale, but said the integrity of his company was worth more than any commission the item would generate.

For a complete account, see the February/March 2002 issue of Sweet Spot.