So, the other day I was rummaging through some old boxes up in the attic. You know how it goes, looking for one thing, end up finding a bunch of stuff you totally forgot about. Tucked away in a corner was this old football, kinda dusty. I picked it up, turned it over, and bam! There was a signature on it. Looked kinda familiar… took me a second, but yeah, it looked like Joe Montana’s autograph.
My first thought was probably what anyone would think: “Hey, I wonder if this old thing is worth any cash?” I mean, Montana, he’s a legend, right? Gotta be worth something.
Digging In Starts Online
Pulled out my phone right there in the dusty attic and started searching. Typed in stuff like “joe montana signature worth” and “signed joe montana football value”. Man, the results were all over the place. Saw numbers from like fifty bucks to thousands of dollars. It was confusing as heck. Some ads were for signed jerseys, others for photos, helmets, cards… and the prices were wildly different.
Okay, so clearly, it wasn’t as simple as just having his name on something. I realized I needed to figure out what actually matters when pricing this stuff.
Figuring Out What Matters
Spent a good hour or so going down the rabbit hole. Here’s what I kinda pieced together:
- What’s Signed: A jersey or a helmet seems to fetch more than a plain old photo or a basic football like mine. Makes sense, bigger items, more displayable maybe.
- Condition: This was a big one. How beat up is the item itself? Is the signature faded, smudged, or is it nice and clear? My football wasn’t mint, and the signature, while readable, wasn’t super sharp. That probably knocked the value down.
- Authentication: This word kept popping up. PSA, JSA, Beckett. Apparently, you need some kind of proof from one of these companies saying the signature is legit. Without that sticker or card, it’s basically just your word against the buyer’s skepticism. My football? No certificate, no sticker. Just the ball and the ink.
Looking for Real Sales, Not Just Hopes
Realized looking at asking prices on sales sites wasn’t the best way. People can ask for anything. I changed my search to look for sold items. Went to some auction sites, checked ended listings. Tried to find footballs, specifically, signed by Montana, that had actually sold recently.
This gave me a much better picture. Found a few that looked kinda like mine. Some were authenticated, some weren’t. The authenticated ones definitely sold for more. The ones without proof? Prices were lower, and seemed to vary a lot more. I compared mine: okay condition ball, decent but unauthenticated signature.
So, What’s the Verdict for Mine?
After looking at maybe a dozen sold examples that were somewhat similar, I got a rough idea. For an unauthenticated football like mine, in decent-but-not-great shape, the value seemed to be floating around the low hundreds, maybe? It wasn’t the lottery ticket I kinda daydreamed about for a second there in the attic.
I thought about maybe sending it off to get authenticated. Looked into it, saw it costs a bit of money and takes time. Plus, there’s no guarantee it’s even real, right? I mean, I think it is, maybe my uncle got it signed way back when, but who knows for sure? Decided against it. Too much hassle for what seemed like a relatively low potential return.
Honestly, the process was more interesting than the potential cash. It’s cool to see what goes into the value of collectibles. For now, I cleaned the dust off that football and put it on a shelf in my office. It’s a neat piece of history, even if it’s not gonna make me rich. The story behind finding it is worth more to me right now anyway.
