About Brandon Grunbaum | History of the Base Ball

Brandon Grunbaum signing guides at a show

The author

From the ballfield to the archive

Brandon grew up in Huntington Beach, California, and spent many years after high school as an award-winning Creative Director in Orange County. In 2008 he followed a passion, went back to school for Aeronautical Science, and earned his Commercial Pilot’s License, flying as a corporate pilot out of John Wayne Airport for ten years.

Growing up a California Angels fan and a competitive baseball player himself, he became a collector of baseball memorabilia from a very young age. In his twenties he began seriously collecting, starting with autographed balls — then turned toward unsigned vintage baseballs from older eras, especially upon realizing their rarity.

The research

Answers the experts didn’t have

Trying to build a chronological collection for his own enjoyment, Brandon found correct information about vintage baseballs far harder to come by than he expected. So he did the research himself: reading 110-year-old Spalding Base Ball Guides, dozens of baseball books, and conducting interviews with avid collectors and the curators of the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum — finding that even these experts could not answer most of his questions.

Through hundreds of hours of meticulous research, dozens of phone conversations and interviews, a trip to Cooperstown, and a multitude of purchases, he pieced together details no one else had, and created a unique, one-of-a-kind historical source.

“It is my hope the reader will gain knowledge, as well as a sense of the importance of America’s pastime’s most important and consistent item: the ball.”Brandon M. Grunbaum

Today

A trusted reference for the industry

Brandon is considered one of the most educated and reliable sources on the subject of the baseball, and remains active in the memorabilia community.

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Hall of Fame reference expert

A reference expert for the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum, several premier auction houses, and the industry’s prominent autograph authenticators.

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Consulted by the FBI

Called upon for expert opinion on the authenticity and dating of vintage baseballs in investigations involving sports memorabilia.

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Credited by ESPN, CBS & MLB

A historical consultant for television production companies, credited with ESPN and CBS and cited on MLB.

Brandon M. GrunbaumAuthor & Baseball Expert

Brandon M. Grunbaum