The future value of autographs...

[predatorkj]

When I purchase aftermarket autos, I go for signatures period to the release of the card. I think signed rookies with rookie era signatures for players without certified rookie autos will maintain and grow in value.

Ok I'll concede that but that seems like a small niche compared to what I was talking about. Besides, you have a finite amount available. There are very few examples that exist from the last decade or more where a guy doesn't have a rookie auto in one product or another. Even if it's a year late, the sig probably didn't change too much.

 

[gt2590]

I always worry paying too much for autos living athletes...

The list of athletes who used to be tough to get but now sign more, like McGwire, Barry Sanders, etc. is ALOT longer than the list of guys who stop signing as much later in years.

 

[csmtampa]

When I purchase aftermarket autos, I go for signatures period to the release of the card. I think signed rookies with rookie era signatures for players without certified rookie autos will maintain and grow in value.

Agree with you. Period signed baseballs of HOF'ers and notables go for more than modern day signatures.

 

[allstars]

None of those guys you mentioned are even close to tough.

Maris isn't tough?

OP you're forgetting something about the high show prices - the price includes actually meeting the player when he signs your auto. That's worth alot to some folks!

 

[rsmath]

Good topic. I also don't think cards with autos on them will maintain value either as more and more autos of a general sort (on cards, memorabilia, etc) are released, its just supply and demand.

to that point, I think of certified and non-certified instead of as total supply and total demand. Sure, if they are living they are signing more and more material and you are getting increasing supply to meet demand and thus prices should fall, but I will pay a premium for a certified auto of a player than buying a card that has been declared in the item description as having been signed IP at spring training or AFL or whatever. I ignore from the supply part of the equation the IP/TTM autos for consideration in my PC because of the additional hassle to have it authenticated should I ever decide to sell it, and the expense and hassle of the possibility of having to do that in the future isn't worth going after IP/TTM cards that others obtained and put up for sale. In my mind (but not in reality), the only supply is whatever is out there for the player in the certified trading card market.

 

[jrinne]

Casual sports fans / collectors probably want display pieces in their man caves and cards aren't going to fit the bill.

The people who value signed cards the most are primarily baseball / sports card collectors or simply hoarders.

I agree 100% with this post. I have a lot of friends who purchase autographs for their basement and not a single one has every purchased a card. Its either a photo, ball or bat. I personally will never do a ball or a bat, no desire but I love the 8X10 surrounded by high end cards. I did a Donald Driver framed 8X10 with 4 high end cards on each side and 2 high end cards on the top and bottom for my wife. It turned out amazing and Ill probably continue to go down that road in the future. As for the future of autographs, the demand will always outweigh the supply. Spur of the moment buyers.

 

[Leaf]

Since the 1977 card show frenzy, I believe there are only four autographs that are hard to come by: Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Carl Yastrzemski, and Roger Maris. To get to rare you have to go into the Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Ty Cobb era. Even in 1991, you had way to many Mantles, Dimaggio's, and Williams .

This is true (even though yaz does shows now)..

The real value will probably lie in "unexpected, die too young" guys..

Great examples in entertainment:
Michael Jackson, Amy wine house, river Phoenix, heath ledger, etc

This is a great discussion..

I think this is why cool inscriptions are so important now.. Anything to create uniqueness cannot hurt..
BG

 

[gt2590]

Since we're talking rare, I had a Customer who was working on a full checklist of Heisman winners on 8x10s.

I haven't talked to him in a while to see his Progress, but there was a couple of WW2 guys he pretty much knew he'd never get...

 

[predatorkj]

Since we're talking rare, I had a Customer who was working on a full checklist of Heisman winners on 8x10s.

I haven't talked to him in a while to see his Progress, but there was a couple of WW2 guys he pretty much knew he'd never get...

Me and a friend are doing the same but on mini helmets instead. Once we get to the guys we can't get any more, we might have to switch to 8x10's.

 

[predatorkj]

to that point, I think of certified and non-certified instead of as total supply and total demand. Sure, if they are living they are signing more and more material and you are getting increasing supply to meet demand and thus prices should fall, but I will pay a premium for a certified auto of a player than buying a card that has been declared in the item description as having been signed IP at spring training or AFL or whatever. I ignore from the supply part of the equation the IP/TTM autos for consideration in my PC because of the additional hassle to have it authenticated should I ever decide to sell it, and the expense and hassle of the possibility of having to do that in the future isn't worth going after IP/TTM cards that others obtained and put up for sale. In my mind (but not in reality), the only supply is whatever is out there for the player in the certified trading card market.

See, me and you kind of agree. I do count any items I get IP because as a collector not looking to sell, I don't feel compelled to get anything authenticated if I obtain it. But when looking from my little world out to the outside, I see everything that is IP/ non authenticated as not even counting towards the supply. I'm talking about psa/steiner/tristar(if coming directly from tristar themselves) as the only things counting towards supply of memorabilia. And I also count the ability to get something signed at a show. But that just plays right back into me personally obtaining something, which, at that point, is real and since I'm not selling, for me, it can count towards the supply.

I know that may not make sense, but I get what your saying.

 

[predatorkj]

Maris isn't tough?

OP you're forgetting something about the high show prices - the price includes actually meeting the player when he signs your auto. That's worth alot to some folks!

I wouldn't really consider most paid signings or even free signings as a chance to actually meet the player. I've been to a lot of them and it's never felt like much of anything except you actually get to control what you get signed and where. I get what you're saying. I just don't ever come away feeling like we had a hell of an experience or anything. Closest two players I could equate actually "meeting" them to the experience I had was Jim Deshaies and Art Howe. Because I actually got the chance to stammer out more than "Hi, how are you, thanks". I've actually had decent conversations with both of them.

And I'm sure this happens for other people at other events. But we all know the "next" mentality of shows. Some guys like Deion Sanders and Ladanian Tomlinson won't even look up at you. So for me, nah, that's not worth the extra amount of money you pay at a show.

 

[Ty Hope]

One of the reasons I haven't moved my Clemente. I know he won't be signing any more anytime soon.

 

[Mario1975]

I think like some have already said I think you have to treat autographs as two separate categories, card and non-card. Don't think the influx of auto cards is really going to hurt the non-card autograph market because it's just not the same thing. I mean as someone else already pointed out most of the time people who collect non-card autos are looking for display pieces or to have a memento in the case of in person autographs. It is killing the autograph market for cards though.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Sports Cards by Freedom Card Board.com

 

[predatorkj]

I think like some have already said I think you have to treat autographs as two separate categories, card and non-card. Don't think the influx of auto cards is really going to hurt the non-card autograph market because it's just not the same thing. I mean as someone else already pointed out most of the time people who collect non-card autos are looking for display pieces or to have a memento in the case of in person autographs. It is killing the autograph market for cards though.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Sports Cards by Freedom Card Board.com

So memorabilia is going to do fine in your opinion but the cards are hurting themselves with overproduction? I can see that.

I also do think that cards and mem. can be seen as different. I guess with the culture I've been introduced to, I see a lot of folks simply wanting a guys auto as long as its real and as long as its cheap or even free. A lot of the auto hounds I'm running across nab autos like crazy no matter the medium. I'm guessing that's why I felt the prices might drop. Of course I need to keep in mind that not everyone collects this way.

 

[200lbhockeyplayer]

Since we're talking rare, I had a Customer who was working on a full checklist of Heisman winners on 8x10s.

I haven't talked to him in a while to see his Progress, but there was a couple of WW2 guys he pretty much knew he'd never get...

I know of a Nile Kinnick signed 8x10...although doubtful it would come up for auction. Clean signature, photo of him holding the Heisman.

Arguably the toughest of all Heisman signatures and I had it in my possession for about 8 months.



Sent from a handheld, intergalactic communicator.

 

[gt2590]

I know of a Nile Kinnick signed 8x10...although doubtful it would come up for auction. Clean signature, photo of him holding the Heisman.

Arguably the toughest of all Heisman signatures and I had it in my possession for about 8 months.

Do you happen to remember where it went after you moved it?