Catfish Hunter
Date of Birth: 4/8/1946
Rookie Card Year: 1965
Investment Rating: 6.5
Overview
Catfish Hunter spent 14-years in the majors playing for the Kansas City Athletics, Oakland Athletics, and New York Yankees. As a member of five Worlds Series Championship teams, Catfish Hunter cards are popular with numerous collectors and very affordable. In addition to winning a Cy Young Award he was also one of the quickest pitchers to reach 200 wins.
Hunter's lone rookie card is part of the 1965 Topps Baseball set. He shares the card with Rene Lachemann, Skip Lockwood and Johnny Odom.
His first autographed card is from the 1993 Nabisco All-Stars set. His first certified autograph issued by a major manufacturer is his 1998 Donruss Signature Series card. It is serial numbered to 2,000.
Hunter's first game-used memorabilia cards debuted in several 2001 products from Fleer, Donruss/Playoff and Upper Deck. All of them feature jersey material. His card from 2001 Upper Deck Decade 1970s stands out due to the size of the jersey swatch, which is larger than those on his other cards.
Genuine Catfish Hunter autographed memorabilia has maintained its value very well through the years. He died relatively young at the age of 53 from Lou Gehrig's Disease. As a result, there is not an overabundance of supply. This will most likely translate to an eventual increase in value of his signed memorabilia.
Catfish Hunter Rookie Card
1965 Topps Catfish Hunter RC #526
It is interesting to see the "KC" attached to the name Athletics, but this is one of the cards that documents that part of baseball history. Hunter's is one of several key rookies in the set. When submitted for professional grading, the card carries a premium with any grade higher than 7 out of 10. It is still relatively affordable in that condition.
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Autograph Guide
Catfish Hunter Autographed Memorabilia Buying Guide
Below you will find an example of what Catfish Hunter's authentic signature looks like. This can be used as a first point of reference for determining the legitimacy of autograph memorabilia, but is not a substitute for having your items authenticated by a well-respected professional autograph authentication company. Some of the trusted sources within the sports memorabilia market include the following companies: PSA, JSA, Steiner, Mounted Memories and Tristar. Click on any of the images below to view full size photos.
Catfish Hunter Cut Signature Exemplar:
Catfish Hunter Key Signature Attributes: An authentic Catfish Hunter signature autograph will exhibit several distinguishing characteristics. Regardless of the type of item or when it was signed, look for the following signature features:
- The signature is written on an even horizontal plane in cursive with a slight lean to the right.
- Despite few people actually calling him by his birth name of Jim, he signed it nearly every time.
- The "J" has a large "C" shape that then begins a vertical line down before looping back up.
- The "i" is implied by a dot.
- The "m" looks more like an "n."
- "Catfish" is signed slightly smaller than the first and last name. This makes individual letter identification more difficult.
- The most legible of all the letters are the "f" and "h." Each of them have a small elongated loop.
- The "H" is identified by the tall parallel lines. They are crossed in a manner that creates a "D" shape laying on its side.
- The "t" is the only other discernible letter and looks like a crossed letter "l."
Catfish Hunter Signed Baseball Pricing
Active Listings for Catfish Hunter Signed Baseballs
Catfish Hunter Signed Photograph Pricing
Active Listings for Catfish Hunter Signed Photographs
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More Info
For general information and player statistics about Catfish Hunter, visit:
