A Call For Opinion regarding On Card Autographs.

[ChasHawk]

I have realized for years that stickers are a neccessary evil.

However, I strongly feel that collectors should outright reject the use of stickers in anything above a mid-level product.

When a $100/box product can be all on-card, a $200/box product damn well better be if you want my money.

 

[Raymond]

there HAS to be a compromise

companies only have so many windows to get stuff signed, and they cant possibly have everything ready at once

There is. I stopped buying.

When companies charge $100+ per pack (forgive my ignorance...haven't been in a card shop in ages), then they can co-ordinate some stuff. They need to figure out their release schedule in advance and design/print the auto cards first. Don't see why thats so hard when you are being charged a high premium.

Ultimately, companies release what they want. I buy what I want. What I buy is nothing. If enough people are satisfied with the product and keep buying, then there will be no change. If the market refuses to accept a change, then the company will need to figure something else out. Right now, people are obviously satisfied with band-aids, so they are going nowhere. So, I did...

 

[Pinbreaker]

Hasn't this been done already..

 

[ChasHawk]

Hasn't this been done already..

Yup.

 

[jbhofmann]

same concept as stickers.

any time the manufacturer can save tons of money by having a player sign a LOT of "something" and then affix it to the card for many years to come, and at any time during the season, the manufacturer doesn't have to sign yearly contracts.

They can get 5000 stickers signed at any time (preferably in their rookie year when they can get them for a buck a piece), then affix them to product even 5 years later.
The player never saw the card, never held it, it is impersonable and CHEAP....a total ripoff, but business smart plan....

IMO, a sticker auto is a 1/5000 regardless if it is placed on a 1/1 card...call it what you want, but i call it total trash.

How do you feel about cut autos of living players?

 

[Raymond]

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How do you feel about cut autos of living players?

For me, just another band-aid.

Cuts of deceased players, different story.

 

[wolf324au]

I only have 3 issues with stickers and 2 of them have already been voiced. 1. The Topps hologram stickers are absolutely hideous. 2. Keep them out of high end product. 3. If you have to use a sticker for God's sake put the freaking thing on straight......

 

[chrome_ball]

pigskin, correct me if I am wrong, but I think some of you guys are missing the concept being discussed with the auto being "in the card". There would not be an auto cutout window if the cards were made like this. The autographed layer would be the entire size of the card and would be covered with a clear layer in order for the auto to be visible.

 

[ChasHawk]

pigskin, correct me if I am wrong, but I think some of you guys are missing the concept being discussed with the auto being "in the card". There would not be an auto cutout window if the cards were made like this. The autographed layer would be the entire size of the card and would be covered with a clear layer in order for the auto to be visible.

Yeah, that would be this.

 

[JackLondon]

For me, it is not really about "the player must touch the card". It is more about the aesthetic appeal of on-card autos. The auto is viewed to be a part of the entire card.

It looks more "complete" with an on-card auto.

 

[mwheeler27]

some of you guys are way too picky

with the way the industry currently is, you can't do everything on card

there has to be some sort of compromise

Then the industry needs to change. Sportkings has 100% "on-card" autographs. They have produced cards for 3 years now with another release scheduled for August. That product will also contain 100% on-card autographs.

If Sportkings can do it 100% of the time with their supposedly limited capital, then the bigger companies could do it too. It is my opinion that these bigger companies don't see the need because the lemmings keep buying it.

I stopped collecting because I only wanted on card autographs, and they were no longer being produced.

I guess that's a compromise.

For the price of cards today, they should be able to give us a quality product.

I'm the same way, and that's why I exclusively collect Sportkings. They are in fact producing on-card autos and have been for 3 years now.

Here's how I look at it...If a card is made in 2010, I don't want it to contain an autograph of a living player that was signed before the card was made. I want that player's 2010 autograph, plain and simple. If I want an earlier autograph of his, I'll look to buy an earlier card.

There are ways to produce and distribute on-card autographs. At least one company does it, so there should be few, if any, excuses.

 

[cgilmo]

sportskings is a bad example, they produce very little product and can have it all ready for one signing session

 

[mwheeler27]

sportskings is a bad example, they produce very little product and can have it all ready for one signing session

No, SK is a "bad example" because poeple don't want to admit that it can be done.

If a larger company with more capital and more employees wanted to make a product with all on-card autograhps, it could be done, and don't tell me it can't.

I don't believe in the word "can't" when others are doing it, even at a smaller level.

 

[ChasHawk]

It gets done by the bigger companies all the time, just not always in the sets that it should be.

Topps puts out one helluva lot more on-card autos each year than SK has in all 3 years, just not in their high-end sets.

That's my problem with them.

 

[RL24]

some of you guys are way too picky


with the way the industry currently is, you can't do everything on card


there has to be some sort of compromise

I stopped collecting because I only wanted on card autographs, and they were no longer being produced.

I guess that's a compromise.

For the price of cards today, they should be able to give us a quality product.

For me, this just looks better...


That said, I do have a bunch of Sweet Spot autographs which are fancy band-aids (although the 2001 set (personal fav) is technically on card.

Sure it looks better, but was it worth the 1 year wait for the redemption to be fulfilled? Or in my case, I sat there for a year waiting for them to get the athlete to sign, but they never made the card. So as a compromise, I quit collecting.

You can't please everybody, no matter who you are.

 

[mwheeler27]

It gets done by the bigger companies all the time, just not always in the sets that it should be.

Topps puts out one helluva lot more on-card autos each year than SK has in all 3 years, just not in their high-end sets.

That's my problem with them.

You're right, but SK does not ever use redemptions for their on-card autographs. You can buy sealed product as an investment, and never have to worry about their autograph redemptions expiring because there are none.

One will never say that SK is flooding the market either. Can the same be said for upper deck or Topps?

You guys are right...no card company will ever please everyone. It's refreshing though that there are people out there that are listening and trying.

 

[Raymond]

Sure it looks better, but was it worth the 1 year wait for the redemption to be fulfilled? Or in my case, I sat there for a year waiting for them to get the athlete to sign, but they never made the card.

I don't rip wax. I buy what I want off the secondary market. So, none of those issues affect me in the slightest...

 

[cgilmo]

I like SK, I like what they do.

But comparing them to a manufacturer with a ton of releases scattered through the year is silly.

SK can print everything they need for the year in one shot if they have to, and have every thing ready when it comes down to signing.


Topps has content that changes with the sport, and can't possibly have it all ready at one shot.

 

[mwheeler27]

I like SK, I like what they do.

But comparing them to a manufacturer with a ton of releases scattered through the year is silly.

SK can print everything they need for the year in one shot if they have to, and have every thing ready when it comes down to signing.


Topps has content that changes with the sport, and can't possibly have it all ready at one shot.

Then Topps either produces too much product for what they can handle, or they don't have enough employees to make it happen. I don't care how big or small a company is...if one can do it on a limited basis, another can do it on a bigger level if they have enough money. And if they don't have enough money, then perhaps they need to rethink what they are doing.

I agree with you that they are ever changing, and those changes need to happen quickly. There are enough collectors out there that don't care if an auto is a sticker or not, so why would Topps, et al ever change?

I definitely understand what you are saying. I truly do. I just hope you realize that no matter how hard a task is, it can be done if it's been done before. Even on a much bigger scale. It happens nearly every day.

 

[cgilmo]

it isn't about topps staff


it's about the timing of the athlete signing


These companies have limited access to the athlete.