Saturday, October 30, 1999
Collectible shop sued over Ruth baseball
Dent man owned ball since 1936 signature
BY EARNEST WINSTON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
A Dent man is suing downtown collectible shop Walls of Fame and its owner in an attempt to recover two baseballs, including one signed by Babe Ruth.
M. James Griggs said Mr. Ruth, among other players, signed a baseball for him in the summer of 1936 while attending a Cincinnati Reds game against the Boston Braves at Crosley Field, according to the lawsuit filed Friday in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court.
The suit seeks:
• $10,000 in compensatory damages.
• $75,000 in punitive damages.
• The immediate return of both baseballs.
• Complete accounting of any sales of the baseballs.
Jack Gilchrist, owner of Walls of Fame located in Tower Place Mall, could not be reached for comment Friday.
The suit says Mr. Griggs kept possession of the autographed baseballs, which have been maintained in excellent condition, until October 1997. Mr. Griggs delivered the baseballs to Mr. Gilchrist, the suit says, “for the purpose of offering the baseballs for sale to collectors and/or the general public.”
Mr. Gilchrist told Mr. Griggs that the baseball autographed by Mr. Ruth was worth between $7,000 and $8,000, the suit says, but he did not estimate a value for the other autographed baseball.
The suit says Mr. Griggs agreed to let Mr. Gilchrist sell the Babe Ruth ball for $3,750. But after repeated attempts to contact Mr. Gilchrist failed, Mr. Griggs became suspicious that the store's owner sold the baseball for more than he said it was worth.
Mr. Griggs said in the suit he has not heard from Mr. Gilchrist or received any money for the sale of the ball signed by Mr. Ruth.
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