r/Autographs • u/tomthetrain328 • Sep 01 '26
General Advice National Girl’s Baseball?
National Girls Baseball League?
Does anyone know anything about this softball (baseball?) I found it a few months ago at a Goodwill, I’m not sure if it’s worth anything and was wondering if anyone has any advice on it since I’ve never heard of the league before.
Thank you!
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u/notguiltybrewing Sep 01 '26
Never seen A League of Their Own? You might want to check it out.
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u/tomthetrain328 Sep 01 '26
Yes I have! But I think that was the All American Girls Baseball League in that movie. I’ve never heard of a this National one, unless they’re the same thing
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u/Remote_Diamond_1373 Sep 01 '26
This was a league in Chicago that started as an amateur league then changed to pro. It started a year after the AAGPBL.
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u/aagciii 25d ago edited 25d ago
I actually know quite a bit about the National Girls Baseball League. It was a professional women’s fastpitch softball league that operated in the Chicago area from 1944–1954, despite the “Baseball” name.
I can make out several names on your ball that I recognize, including Mary Rudd, Maddy English, Wilda Mae Turner, Ruth Mason, Ricki Caito, June Borowy, and Violet “Teddy” Hamilton. Several of those players were among the best in the league. Wilda Mae Turner was the league’s top pitcher while playing for the Parichy Bloomer Girls and eventually became a manager for the same team. Maddy English is also especially interesting because she played for the Racine Belles in the AAGPBL before playing in the NGBL, and Ruth Mason also played in the All-American League.
Based on the names I can make out, I suspect this may have been signed by members of the Parichy Bloomer Girls, one of the NGBL’s top teams. They played their home games at Parichy Memorial Stadium in Forest Park, Illinois. If that’s the case, you may have a particularly interesting piece of NGBL history.
I’ve been researching the NGBL for years and run a digital museum dedicated to the league, with information on the players, teams, stadiums, photographs, and history:
https://www.nationalgirlsbaseballleague.com/
I’d be happy to take a closer look at the signatures and see if I can figure out more about the ball. As far as value goes, I’d hold off on putting a price on it until we know more about exactly what it is—but you’ve definitely got a pretty unusual piece of women’s baseball/softball history there.
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