A Colorado man says he spent over $22,500 on an autographed 1916 Boston Red Sox baseball that turned out to be fake and can’t get a refund. Now, he’s suing Dalshire International, an auction house based in the Dallas area that sold it through Live Auctioneers.
The ball carries what was purported to be a Ruth signature in addition to those of other players on the 1916 team but even one of the lesser-known signature authentication firms says it’s not authentic.
Dallas County Court records say Rusty Crossland planned to put the ball on display in a museum he operates in the name of his late father after winning it in an auction back in February.
Dalshire sent the ball to Scientific Authentication Company, which rejected it as non-genuine. Crossland says that was done without his knowledge but when he found out the California-based company wouldn’t call it authentic, he asked Dalshire for a refund.
In its analysis, Scientific Authentication Company wrote,
The 1916 Boston Red Sox Baseball Cannot be determined authentic for variety of reasons. Under magnification it is obvious ink has been added to the B. on the B. Ruth signature. There is no bleed or fanning out of ink on any of the signatures which is clear and convincing evidence that the signatures are are not original. Each signature on the baseball has no texture and all have smooth effect which indicates they have been mechanically produced. Each signature has the same color of ink and none have nib marks from fountain pen which would have been used when this ball was signed. All the signatures have equal pressure applied throughout which is clear and convincing evidence that the signatures were mechanically applied to the baseball.
“In short, Mr. Crossland’s purchase was fraud,” Crossland’s attorney wrote in the suit, which was filed in Dallas County Civil Court.
Court records show Dalshire Founder and CEO John House claimed that sending Crossland an immediate refund would result in “a burden on our cash flow” and instead sent a series post-dated checks for $2,500 that Crossland could cash each week. House said that was all he could do until he could “recover the funds from the consignor” of the ball, who had already been paid.
Crossland claims those checks, which were sent out beginning in late May, have all bounced.
He’s suing for reimbursement and attorney’s fees for a Violation of the Deceptive Trade Practices Act and Breach of Contract.
Dalshire hasn’t yet responded to the suit.
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