So, about getting my hands on a Javier Baez signed baseball. It wasn’t like I just woke up one day and decided, “Yep, gotta have one.” I’d been thinking about it for a while, actually. Javy, man, he was electric to watch, especially during those Cubs years. “El Mago,” right? The things he did on the field, you just don’t see that every day.
Starting the Hunt
First thing I did, like most folks, was hop online. Typed it into the search bar, and boom, a million listings. But here’s the kicker: trying to figure out what’s real and what’s a decent price? That’s a whole other ball game. Some of those prices were just nuts, and you see so many stories about fakes. It kinda put me off for a bit, not gonna lie. Reminded me of when I was trying to track down a decent, not crazy expensive, vintage concert poster from my youth. Took ages and a lot of dead ends.
Anyway, I didn’t give up on Javy. I thought, okay, gotta be a bit more systematic here. I started looking specifically for items with authentication. You know, from the big companies like PSA, JSA, or Beckett. That felt like a good first filter. If it didn’t have that, I mostly just skipped over it. Why risk it, right?
The Nitty-Gritty Process
So, my process went something like this:
- Daily Browsing: I’d spend maybe 20-30 minutes each evening, just scrolling through a few reputable sports memorabilia sites. The ones that have been around for a while, you know?
- Comparing Signatures: I even pulled up images of known authentic Baez signatures online and compared them to what I was seeing in listings. You start to notice the little things, the flow, the way he does his ‘J’ or the ‘B’.
- Checking Authentication Numbers: If a listing had an authentication number, I’d sometimes go to the authenticator’s website and try to verify it. Just to be extra sure.
- Setting a Budget (Loosely): I had a figure in my head of what I was willing to spend. Didn’t want to break the bank, but also knew a legit signed ball wouldn’t be super cheap.
This went on for a few weeks. Saw a few potentials, but something was always a bit off – price too high, authentication looked a bit iffy on closer inspection, or the ball itself looked a bit beat up. Patience, I told myself, patience. It’s like fishing; you can’t rush it.
The Find and the Purchase
Then, one Tuesday afternoon, I was on a site I’d bought from once before, a smaller dealer but with a solid reputation. And there it was. A clean Rawlings Official Major League Baseball, nice bold signature, looked spot on. It came with a JSA witness authentication, which is pretty good because it means someone from JSA actually saw him sign it. That was a big plus.
The price was, well, it was up there, but it felt fair for what it was, especially with that witness cert. I looked at the pictures again, zoomed in, read the description a few times. It just felt right. So, I took a deep breath and hit the “buy” button. My wife just shook her head when I told her, but she knows how I get with these little collecting projects.
Arrival and Display
Waiting for it to arrive was the hardest part! Felt like a kid again. When the package finally landed, I opened it pretty carefully. Checked the ball, the signature, the JSA sticker and card. Everything matched up. The signature was crisp, right on the sweet spot. Beautiful.
Now, it sits in a nice UV-protected display case on a shelf in my office. Got it right next to a puck signed by Bobby Hull (another story for another day, that one!). Every now and then, I’ll pick it up, give it a look. It’s just a cool piece of memorabilia from a player who brought a lot of excitement to the game. For me, it’s not just a signed baseball; it’s a little piece of that “El Mago” magic. And the whole process of finding it, that was part of the fun too, in a way.
