Ok...whats the deal with index cards?

I posted this in the football forum originally but I wanted to post it here too to see if any of our baseball guys have had this experience.It may be a universal thing.

Today me and a friend went to get Mack Brown's(head coach for UT) autograph because he was signing in Austin for free at an Academy.Me and my friend both asked if we could get back in line after we got our first auto because we had a few things we wanted him to sign.The people at Academy said sure.A lot of people ended up doing this.He was going to be there for two hours so it didn't seem like it would be a big deal.

Well the first time around we both got our mini helmet's signed.Then I wanted to get an index card while my friend was going to get his poster.I have recently been getting every player or coach I can on index cards because I noticed with the baseball signings they often have 3 or 4 players/coaches at once at every signing so if I already have a some signatures of some of them I can still get them on an index card.I save at least one index card and give the others away to friends and family who were not able to attend.Its a cheap and easy way to get a player or coach that you already have and don't want to shell out money to buy a ball or something else for.And they look cool all together.I didn't think they would but they do.It also helps when you really don't have an item for them to sign and you can't afford one.There were a few basketball players I didn't have anything for so I used the index card instead.


Anyways...I get up there and I hand him my index card and he acts kinda weird like he is hesitant to sign it.I have never had anyone act this way before.The guy who is working the event steps in and offers me one of the promotional posters instead saying it would look so much nicer.I told him I usually get index cards and I had been building quite a collection of them.He kept insisting I take the poster and Mack Brown immediately and hurriedly agrees and starts signing a handful of them.So now I am confused as to whats the big damn deal.So I just shut my trap and take the poster they offered and walk away.I wait for my friend to finish and we walk away.

Then that's when he said he overheard them talking about my index card.He said they were talking about people selling things on ebay and that anyone getting anything signed with a blue marker most likely is selling the item on ebay.I noticed now that I recall...there were no blue markers on the table.They gave him a zillion markers to sign things with and not one blue marker was present.I paid it no mind initially but now it seems odd.My friend also said that he overheard them speaking of my index card and that they were saying they figured I would sell it on ebay since they are worth a lot.They also said that's why I was trying to use a blue ball point pen to get him to sign it.Then as we were walking away my buddy took his time coming and I walked slow.I guess he was trying to overhear what they were saying.He told me they were relieved that I hadn't got the index card signed.


So after all of that ,what I want to know is what's the big deal with the index cards?I have heard that some athletes won't sign them for whatever reason but it makes no sense to me.If they are worried about you selling them...well...lets just say I bet that mini helmet I got signed would fetch a great deal more than an index card.And last time I checked blue was just a color.I will only buy blue autographed baseballs but I have no preference on photos or any other item.I had the blue pen because it was one I got in a pack of 20 for getting my baseballs signed.I also had no idea signed index cards of non hall of famers or non dead players were worth a dime.Its why I use them.They are cheap.I also would have lost my rear end if I went out there to get index cards signed and tried to sell them on ebay.I paid about $40 in gas and also wasted about 9 hours of the day between driving and waiting in line.Its a three hour drive there and a three hour drive back.


Normally I would just chalk this up to a bit of weirdness but this was more than one person who was concerned and their expressions, actions, and words were pretty comical.I seriously couldn't believe they were that worried about it.

Does anyone know what the deal is?

Someone asked this before and a few other posters said the players wont sign due to identity theft.

edit:for correct term

People think signed notecards lead to identity theft. Apparently they think you can trace a sig off one and get a credit card, but you can't apparently do that with anything else.

It's stupid.

Craig

Yep, identity theft.

If I remember right, the MLB instructs their first year players to show caution when signing index cards for that very reason.

I could be thinking of a different thing, but I could have sworn I heard that some celebrities are afraid of signing index cards due to identity theft.

So you're telling me that I can copy a sig from an index card easier than I can from anything else?I know it'd be hard on a football or baseball or stuff like that but I got a poster signed by him and he was signing pictures as well.I could do the same thing no?

What I thought was weird was they were saying I would sell them on ebay.Trust me...most of the time these things aren't worth the time if you're trying to sell.You'd lose your rear end on it.Now I have heard it would be easy to duplicate the index cards but I would think people would notice that I printed a bunch of them up.I know there are ways to copy things and thankfully I don't think a lot of people bother to waste the time on stuff like that but I just couldn't see them making such a big deal when I could have done everything they feared about the index card with any other flat item he signed.

If that is why, then they should post a sign saying "No Index cards due to fear of Identity Theft" or something like that.

OT- Glad you got your package in the mail predatorjk. (was going to use your real name, but I was afraid of identity theft)

Someone. Anyone. Please tell me how your identity can be stolen with your signature and your signature only. Please enlighten me! Absolute ridiculous statement by mlb or anyone else.

It's pretty easy to make a stamp with an index card. Also the perfect white background makes photoshoping it onto any kind of contract pretty easy. Makes since to me.

All kinds of player's have quirks on stuff they won't sign and index cards is very common one many won't sign. I don't blame them. If I was a doing a signing I would sign them either.

Not surprised at all on the blue marker bit either. Blue almost all the time looks much better than black. Look at any major dealer site like Steiner/TriStar ect... 90% of the time they always use blue sharpie on photos and always blue ball point on baseballs. Just looks so much better. But to say only people that sell stuff want blue. No blue almost always looks so much better. I wish Donruss pulled head out of ass and used blue in more products.

tonsofcommons said:

If that is why, then they should post a sign saying "No Index cards due to fear of Identity Theft" or something like that.

OT- Glad you got your package in the mail predatorjk. (was going to use your real name, but I was afraid of identity theft)

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Dude...nobody would want my identity.Trust me on that!


By the way...thanks for all the free cards!I just barely got a chance to go through them and I appreciate it a lot.Lot of cool odds and ends in there and that Stackhouse lot was just plain sick!I have to hit the shop up for some supplies before I can even sort them properly.I had quite a few lots show up so I ran out of everything.Penny sleeves, toploaders, and even all of my one touches as well!

trevordchi said:

It's pretty easy to make a stamp with an index card. Also the perfect white background makes photoshoping it onto any kind of contract pretty easy. Makes since to me.

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Point taken but I can do the same thing with photoshop depending on what I use for a photo.I am pretty sure that you could slip some well planned photos in there to get signed that would not make the cropping of the sig too hard.


All I am saying is that I have to deal with athletes not wanting to sign for free hardly because they are so damn worried about what you're going to do with it and I finally decide I will go this route because who in their right mind goes around getting index cards signed to try to make a profit.And now I have to worry about this as well.Its kinda taking it a step far in my opinion.The only reason I can see why they would be worried about it is because you might be able to make more copies of their sig for selling purposes.That's not their concern.Its really not.

matchpenalty said:

All kinds of player's have quirks on stuff they won't sign and index cards is very common one many won't sign. I don't blame them. If I was a doing a signing I would sign them either.

Not surprised at all on the blue marker bit either. Blue almost all the time looks much better than black. Look at any major dealer site like Steiner/TriStar ect... 90% of the time they always use blue sharpie on photos and always blue ball point on baseballs. Just looks so much better. But to say only people that sell stuff want blue. No blue almost always looks so much better. I wish Donruss pulled head out of ass and used blue in more products.

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Not all photos are best in blue.I get a lot in silver and some in black.It just depends on the picture or whatever I am getting signed.Whatever looks good.Wouldn't it stand to reason that whatever looks good is what the collector would want?Why do you think Tri-star and Steiner use blue?Because it looks good and they know the customers will pay for it.


In any case...its not the biggest deal.Its really not.It just seemed like too much was being made of it.And if I wanted to really screw with someone's signature...you give me some onion skin paper and I would be able to trace it good enough and then be able to transfer it to something and then be able to clean it up.Wallah...a signature.Luckily I have no need to do that.I don't sell anything.I also don't try to cheat people.


But I mean this...the next person who even makes that kind of a comment within ear shot of me at a signing is going to get an ass chewing.I drove three hours for that autograph.Most people would say "What...you want a cookie?".No...I want the common decency of not being suspected as a dealer.I had two items with me to get signed.I don't like it when people sit there and try to out me as a dealer.None of this crap is worth selling.I get it because I am a fan.And if need be...I will hurt someone's feelings if they pop off.Truth be told...I'd suspect old Mack Brown's signature isn't worth much more than mine.

He wasn't overly rude but I am getting tired of this whole "I'll sign what you brought my way or not at all.". I'd rather not be forced to be at the mercy of what someone else is in the mood for.Not when its taking time and money out of me.If I am at a game or whatever then that's totally cool and expected.But not ata sit down for free auto session.


And if people want to start acting like they know what are really hot items on ebay...they need to start researching a little bit more.That helmet would be the only thing worth selling.

And just to clarify...I am not as mad as I sound about it.I also appreciate any time someone is nice enough to sign for free but a lot of the times they get paid to be there anyway.It helps promote the store and they sell a lot of items.But I have had it with trying to find something nice to get signed and then the person signing being picky about what they want to do with it.If they want to be picky they might as well not sign at all.That's why I never got Biggio on a bat.He changes his mind too much.First it was yes and then it was no and then it was only if you got a personalization.I wonder what it will be next time.I don't want to sit and play the guessing game.Wondering what they will and won't sign.I guess I feel this way because I am not selling anything.

I had a similar experience at a Packer game last fall. Former WR Robert Brooks was there signing free autos before the game and since I didn't know he was going to be there, I didn't have anything with me to have signed. In the past I've had a couple of players sign the back of one of my business cards (I pretty much always have a few of them on me) but when I got to the table, he declined to sign it. I showed him that it was my card with my name on the other side and told him I had no plans to resell it but he still politely refused saying that he doesn't sign anything plain white. I ended up having him sign the brim of my cap but was a bit disappointed he wouldn't sign the card. I never even thought about the identity theft angle to be honest.

Interesting. I've never heard of the identity theft thing.

There's no doubt it's far easier to get a sig off a pure white background than a picture. Sure it could be done on a picture too, but it's more difficult.

Is their a thread on FCB with players quirks when it comes to signing stuff. I know some guys will only sign official licensed stuff. So if you have a photo that doesn't have the hologram from NFL/MLB ect on it. They won't sign it. Or Robin Ventura won't sign the fight photo of him and Nolan Ryan. Even heard that Willie Mays would just sign his name right over someone he doesn't likes name on multi-signed stuff. I think Rod Carew is another guy who doesn't sign bats. A lot of guys personalize when you ask for sweet spot on baseball. Jay Bruce does that.

Billy Packer said:

I had a similar experience at a Packer game last fall. Former WR Robert Brooks was there signing free autos before the game and since I didn't know he was going to be there, I didn't have anything with me to have signed. In the past I've had a couple of players sign the back of one of my business cards (I pretty much always have a few of them on me) but when I got to the table, he declined to sign it. I showed him that it was my card with my name on the other side and told him I had no plans to resell it but he still politely refused saying that he doesn't sign anything plain white. I ended up having him sign the brim of my cap but was a bit disappointed he wouldn't sign the card. I never even thought about the identity theft angle to be honest.

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That blows.I just don't see how you can steal someone's entire identity from their signature.It would stand to reason you'd have to have a little more info than that.

predatorkj said:

Billy Packer said:

I had a similar experience at a Packer game last fall. Former WR Robert Brooks was there signing free autos before the game and since I didn't know he was going to be there, I didn't have anything with me to have signed. In the past I've had a couple of players sign the back of one of my business cards (I pretty much always have a few of them on me) but when I got to the table, he declined to sign it. I showed him that it was my card with my name on the other side and told him I had no plans to resell it but he still politely refused saying that he doesn't sign anything plain white. I ended up having him sign the brim of my cap but was a bit disappointed he wouldn't sign the card. I never even thought about the identity theft angle to be honest.

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That blows.I just don't see how you can steal someone's entire identity from their signature.It would stand to reason you'd have to have a little more info than that.

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It's not so much just a signature. The other stuff is easier to come by. The sig is the big missing piece.