The Great American Pursuit: A Study of Athlete Signing Fees 1970s-present

I recently made a post discussing the outrageous fees many athletes are charging for autographs at this year's National.

This got me to thinking; just how far above normal inflation have athlete's signing fees escalated since the advent of sports shows in the 1970's?

Of course, a promoter's cut and expenses have significantly risen over the years, but that can only explain part of the trend.

Therefore, I'd like to start a collaborative project to track the rise of signing fees over the years.

Hopefully, we can draw on the recollection/experiences of our more seasoned hobbyists who may have picked up a Mantle autograph for $5-10 back in the 1970s (for example).

To participate, please post an approximate price you may have recalled seeing/paying for a baseball or flat in any of the past 4 decades (70s-00s).

Let's just focus on key HOFers or elite non-HOFers such as Maddux, Johnson, Clemens, Bonds, Rose, etc...

Any/all input is greatly appreciated. I'll compile the data and draft up a chart as we go along.

Here's an example of what my bill would be if I got every player I wanted to sign my poster:

Barnstorming with Frank Barning: Hobby history: Card show promoters paid Mickey Mantle a shockingly high $1,000 per hour in New York in 1978 and 1979.

Barnstorming with Frank Barning: Part 2 - Hobby history: Card show promoters paid Mickey Mantle a shockingly high $1,000 per hour in New York in 1978.

I thought these were interesting.

The autograph industry as a whole will eventually collapse. There are too many autos being signed either IP for free, at shows, or on baseball cards via the manufacturers. And the price of some of these autos, especially at a big show, is beyond ridiculous.

Most players I got at shows and conventions in Dallas were free with admission in the early to mid '80s.

These included Hall of Famers like Bob Gibson, Stan Musial, Ernie Banks, Duke Snider, Warren Spahn, Early Wynn, Bob Lemon, Geroge Kell, Frank Robinson, Whitey Ford, Brooks Robinson, Lou Brock, Al Kaline, Bob Feller, Harmon Killebrew, Luis Aparicio, Bobby Doerr, Ralph Kiner, Lou Boudreau, Juan Marichal, and dozens of other Hall of Famers and retired stars.

The free retired stars included Bobby Thomson, Johnny Pesky, Don Newcombe, Bobby Richardson, Don Larsen, Maury Wills, Tony Oliva, Denny McLain, Jimmy Piersall, etc., and many players who weren't yet Hall of Famers, like Bill Mazeroski, Catfish Hunter, Willie Stargell, Phil Rizzuto, Leo Durocher, Jim Bunning, Orlando Cepeda, Earl Weaver, Hal Newhouser, etc.

They were usually $5-$10 for additional signatures, depending on the player. Sometimes there was limit of up to 3 or 5 free signatures.
Pictures with them were always free.

The non-top tier Hall of Famers mostly, but not all, started to charge at shows when the hobby exploded around 1987.

Here's some of the bigger names that my records show from attending conventions in the Dallas area (Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Plano, etc.) from 1985-1991.

I got Willie Mays twice, in 1986 (National Convention) and a show in 1987. He was $10 both times.
I got Mickey Mantle twice, in 1985 for $10 and in 1990 for $30.
Joe DiMaggio was $15 in 1985.
Ted Williams was $25 in 1988.
Hank Aaron was $25 in 1990.
Sandy Koufax was $10 in 1987.
Nolan Ryan was $20 in 1991.
Tom Seaver was $15 in 1990.
Pete Rose was only $5 in 1988.
Rickey Henderson was $30 in 1991.
Mark McGwire was $10 in 1987.
Jose Canseco was $30 in 1989. ( I didn't get him because the price was outgrageous)

Darryl Strawberry, Eric Davis, Dwight Gooden and other super hot late '80s stars were between $5 and $15, depending on the year.
I never saw Mattingly, Boggs or Gwynn at a Dallas show in the '80s.

I got hundreds of other players, current and retired, during the '80s at shows, conventions and public signings, mostly free, but a few of the hotter names or rookies were $2-$5 each.

If there are any specific names you want me to look up, let me know.

Ironically, this morning I read an article originally printed in 1982 about a collector complaining about mantle charging $5 at a show.

One can only imagine what Mantle/Williams/DiMaggio would've charged in 2013.

Thanks for sharing, Austin. It just makes it all the harder to justify getting paid sigs these days.

I was thinking about this recently, and I wondered, at what point will retired athletes simply not do card shows or private signings?

For instance, after Derek Jeter or LeBron James retire, what is the incentive to get on an airplane to be driven to a convention center to go sit at a table while fat guys like me come up and try to talk to you while getting you to sign your name on a ball or photo?

I'm talking financially, of course. Sure, there will be plenty of athletes who blow all of their money on houses and alimony, and therefore rely on card shows for some income, but for those who make more money than any of us can imagine, and don't waste it, I imagine there will come a point (soon), when no dollar amount that a promoter dangles in front of them will be enough to persuade them to do an autograph signing.

gmarutiak said:

I imagine there will come a point (soon), when no dollar amount that a promoter dangles in front of them will be enough to persuade them to do an autograph signing.

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And if the money is enough for it to be worth Jeter's or Lebron's time, it would be way out of the price range of 99% of collectors.
It's already crazy that it costs at least $150 to get an autograph from some players.
$200 to spend ten seconds with Randy Johnson! Are you kidding me?

Steiner charges what...$400 a pop for Jeter? Honestly Tristar sucks because I've grown really spoiled with being able to get Texans and Astros autographs for free. Every guy's autograph on the Texans 53 man roster for the last 5 years was obtained by me at training camp and other signings for free. I got a slew of the astros, including Bagwell, Biggio, and Berkman on a ton of items over the years. All for free. I've gotten some of the biggest names that ever played for the Rockets for free as well. In fact, I've never paid for a basketball player's auto. And I have a lot of other big names too from a lot of other teams. Point being, they were all free. There are some guys you'll never get for free and I'm okay with that. But I'm not paying $150 for a Matt Schuab auto when I got him about 9 times for free previously. Now he's a Tristar exclusive. And the money they charge for J.J. Watt is insane. I love the guy! But I'll keep the few autos I already have of his when I got him his rookie year and be happy.

Austin said:

And if the money is enough for it to be worth Jeter's or Lebron's time, it would be way out of the price range of 99% of collectors.
It's already crazy that it costs at least $150 to get an autograph from some players.
$200 to spend ten seconds with Randy Johnson! Are you kidding me?

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Exactly...and in my case, I wouldn't even be there!

Sure, I squawk like the rest of us, but the completionist in me will in all likelihood fork over the $$$ to continue with the theme of the poster. Curse you, OCD! haha

Austin said:

And if the money is enough for it to be worth Jeter's or Lebron's time, it would be way out of the price range of 99% of collectors.
It's already crazy that it costs at least $150 to get an autograph from some players.
$200 to spend ten seconds with Randy Johnson! Are you kidding me?

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They don't call him the big unit for nothing...that's a screwing.

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nappyd said:

They don't call him the big unit for nothing...that's a screwing.

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Lol!

The factor you're forgetting in this price survey is that typically a Players price is dictated by how much they sign, not a straight-forward Mathmatical equation.

And that leads to former players, even HOFers, with more time and less cash available, typically charge less than current players who don't have either of those situations. The most expensive auto photo in our store is Ryan Howard, while a Schmidt/Rose/Carlton triple auto photo sells for $150 less. Heck, "Big Ben" was $100 more than Joe Montana charged.

And many players eventually start signing, despite never having done so, when the money is available. Barry Sanders, McGwire and especially Bill Russell fit that profile. Those factors contribute more to prices moving and might show the fluctuation that would affect your survey, especially if tracked over many years...

Wouldn't it be cheaper to just buy there auto off of eBay, either a card or a photo?

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joeya2001 said:

Wouldn't it be cheaper to just buy there auto off of eBay, either a card or a photo?

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Much cheaper, but for those who are working on a single item theme (poster, bat, ball, etc...), shows & private signings are the only way to go.