The HOF inscription is one of, if not the most highly collectible inscription in the autographed baseball hobby/industry. HOF inscriptions are a great way to summarize a player’s career. Once you see those three letters signed after a player’s name, you know they had a successful career and played a major role in the history of Major League Baseball. In fact, during new Hall of Famer’s first sit down interviews with Bob Costas, Bob asks how it feels for players to sign their name with “HOF” after it. As of 2023, there are 342 members of the Hall of Fame, consisting of 270 players, 40 executives/pioneers, 22 managers, and 10 umpires. Hall of Fame broadcasters are awarded the Ford C. Frick award and have their own wing inside the National Baseball Hall of Fame so they are not recognized as part of the official number of National Baseball Hall of Famers.
Unfortunately for HOF inscription collectors, the collection will never be complete. Of the 342 members in the Hall of Fame, 115 members were inducted posthumously while 255 members were inducted within their lifespan. Although 227 members were inducted before they passed away, inscriptions were not always common practice. Through extensive research of Google searches and auction archives, I have determined that only 168 members have had items surface where the coveted HOF inscription was added to their signature. I have compiled a list that I have personally seen of Hall of Famers who have signed items with the HOF inscription. If I did not see an authenticated example somewhere with my own eyes, it was not added to the list. The available HOF inscriptions are listed below, along with a categorization of how rare the inscription is for that player and the dollar amount you can expect to pay for that particular inscription.
1. Aaron, Hank ($$$)$
2. Alomar, Roberto ($)
3. Anderson, Sparky ($$)
4. Aparicio, Luis ($)
5. Appling, Luke ($$)
6. Ashburn, Richie ($$)
7. Averill, Earl- (index card) ($$$$$)
8. Bagwell, Jeff ($$)
9. Baines, Harold ($)
10. Baker, Frank ($$$$$)
11. Banks, Ernie ($$)
12. Barlick, Al ($)
13. Bell, Cool Papa ($$$$)
14. Bench, Johnny ($$)
15. Berra, Yogi ($$)
16. Biggio, Craig ($$)
17. Blyleven, Bert ($)
18. Boggs, Wade ($)
19. Boudreau, Lou ($$)
20. Brett, George ($$)
21. Brock, Lou ($)
22. Bunning, Jim ($)
23. Carew, Rod ($)
24. Carey, Max ($$$$$)
25. Carlton, Steve ($)
26. Carter, Gary ($$)
27. Cepeda, Orlando ($)
28. Chandler, Happy ($$$$)
29. Cochrane, Mickey ($$$$$)
30. Combs, Earle ($$$$$)
31. Conlan, Jocko ($$$$)
32. Cox, Bobby ($$)
33. Coveleski, Stanley ($$$$$)34. Crawford, Sam ($$$$$)
35. Cronin, Joe ($$$$$)36. Dandridge, Ray ($$)
37. Day, Leon (HOF only. No year due to posthumously inducted) ($$$$)
38. Dawson, Andre ($)
39. Dickey, Bill ($$$$$)
40. DiMaggio, Joe ($$$$)
41. Doby, Larry ($$)
42. Doerr, Bobby ($)
43. Drysdale, Don ($$$)$
44. Eckersley, Dennis ($)
45. Feller, Bob ($)
46. Ferrell, Rick ($$)
47. Fingers, Rollie ($)
48. Fisk, Carlton ($)$
49. Flick, Elmer ($$$$$)
50. Ford, Whitey ($$)
51. Gehringer, Charlie ($$$)
52. Gibson, Bob ($$)
53. Gillick, Pat ($)
54. Glavine, Tom ($)
55. Gomez, Lefty ($$$$)
56. Gossage, Goose ($)
57. Greenberg, Hank ($$$$)
58. Griffey, Jr., Ken ($$)
59. Grimes, Burleigh ($$$$)
60. Guerrero, Vladimir ($)$
61. Gwynn, Tony ($$)
62. Haines, Jesse ($$$$)
63. Hartnett, Gabby ($$$$$)
64. Harvey, Doug ($)$
65. Henderson, Rickey ($$)
66. Herman, Billy ($$)
67. Herzog, Whitey ($)
68. Hoffman, Trevor ($)$
69. Hubbell, Carl- be weary of added inscriptions ($$$$)
70. Hunter, Catfish ($$)
71. Irvin, Monte ($)
72. Jackson, Reggie ($)
73. Jackson, Travis ($$$$$)
74. Jenkins, Fergie ($)
75. Jeter, Derek ($$$)$
76. Johnson, Judy ($$$$$)
77. Johnson, Randy ($$)
78. Jones, Chipper ($$)
79. Kaat, Jim ($$)
80. Kaline, Al ($)$
81. Kell, George ($)
82. Killebrew, Harmon ($)
83. Kiner, Ralph ($)
84. Koufax, Sandy ($$$$)
85. Larkin, Barry ($)
86. LaRussa, Tony ($)
87. Lasorda, Tommy ($)$
88. Lemon, Bob ($)
89. Leonard, Buck ($$)
90. Lopez, Al ($$)
91. Lyons, Ted- only authenticated example was found on a jersey ($$$$$)
92. MacPhail, Lee ($)
93. Maddux, Greg ($$)
94. Mantle, Mickey ($$$$)
95. Marichal, Juan ($)
96. Marquard, Rube ($$$$$)
97. Martinez, Edgar ($)$
98. Martinez, Pedro ($$)
99. Mathews, Eddie ($$)
100. Mays, Willie ($$$$)
101. Mazeroski, Bill ($)
103. McCovey, Willie ($$)
104. McGriff, Fred ($$)
105. Mize, Johnny ($$)
106. Molitor, Paul ($)
107. Morgan, Joe ($)$
108. Morris, Jack ($)$
109. Murray, Eddie ($$)
110. Musial, Stan (referring to good condition ones that are not shaky signature) ($$)
110. Mussina, Mike ($)
111. Newhouser, Hal ($)
112. Niekro, Phil ($)
113. O’Neil Buck (no year available but “HOF Veteran’s Committee” is available) ($$$$)
114. Oliva, Tony ($)$
115. Ortiz, David ($$)
116. Palmer, Jim ($)
117. Perez, Tony ($)
118. Perry, Gaylord ($)
119. Piazza, Mike ($$)
120. Puckett, Kirby ($$$)$
121. Raines, Tim ($)
122. Reese, Pee Wee ($$)
123. Rice, Jim ($)
124. Ripken, Jr., Cal ($$)
125. Rivera, Mariano ($$)
126. Rizzuto, Phil ($$)
127. Roberts, Robin ($)
128. Robinson, Brooks ($)
129. Robinson, Frank ($)$
130. Robinson, Jackie- only example was on a multi-signed baseball ($$$$$)
131. Rodriguez, Ivan ($)$
133. Rolen, Scott ($$)
133. Ruffing, Red- never seen on a baseball ($$$$$)
134. Ryan, Nolan ($$)
135. Sandberg, Ryne ($)
136. Schmidt, Mike ($$)
137. Schoendienst, Red ($)
138. Schuerholz, John ($)
139. Seaver, Tom ($$)
140. Selig, Bud ($$)
141. Sewell, Joe ($$)
142. Simmons, Ted ($$)
143. Slaughter, Enos ($)
144. Smith, Lee ($)
145. Smith, Ozzie ($)
146. Smoltz, John ($$)
147. Snider, Duke ($)
148. Spahn, Warren ($$)
149. Stargell, Willie ($$)
150. Stengel, Casey ($$$$$)
151. Sutter, Bruce ($)
152. Sutton, Don ($)
153. Terry, Bill (full HOF 154. inscription) ($$$$)
155. Thomas, Frank ($$)
156. Thome, Jim ($$)
157. Trammell, Alan ($)
158. Torre, Joe ($$)
159. Traynor, Pie ($$$$$)
160. Walker, Larry ($$)
161. Walsh, Ed ($$$$$)
162. Waner, Lloyd ($$$$$)
163. Weaver, Earl ($)
164. Wheat, Zach ($$$$$)
165. Wilhelm, Hoyt ($)
166. Williams, Billy ($)
167. Williams, Ted ($$$$$)
168. Williams, Dick ($)
169. Winfield, Dave ($)
170. Wynn, Early ($$)
171. Yastrzesmki, Carl ($$)
172. Yount, Robin ($$)
View the full list of Hall of Famers at https://www.baseball-almanac.com/hof/hofmem.shtml
View the list of Hall of Famers inducted posthumously at https://baseballhall.org/discover-more/stories/hall-of-famer-facts/hall-of-famers-inducted-posthumously
