OTHER - Sports - Collectables - Ted Williams

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Along with DiMaggio and Mantle, Ted Williams was one of the baseball legends that became part of the hobby boom in the 1980s and beyond. He worked with industry powerhouse Upper Deck Authenticated around their launch in the early 1990s, and later created his own brand by signing thousands of items for his family business. From the beginning, Williams showcased a confident-looking autograph, which coincided with his personality. During the 1940s and 1950s, a clubhouse attendant would often add Williams to team-signed items on the Hall of Famer’s behalf. The Boston Red Sox were also known to occasionally use a stamp during the same time period. While playing and long after his career, Williams utilized a secretary to help sign fan mail and occasionally employed a stamp. Williams possessed a beautiful autograph, but after suffering a series of strokes in the mid-1990s, the great slugger struggled to sign items, such as baseballs, with the same precision. That said, Williams continued to sign large numbers of autographs up until the time of his death. One of the most forged figures in the hobby, huge volumes of Williams counterfeits were seized as part of the late-1990s FBI sting referred to as Operation Bullpen.

Ted Williams died in 2002 at the age of 83.