Autograph question for the audience
 

So I’m still fairly new to the hobby, collected as a kid back in the early 80s, been back for a few years. Got caught up in football hype during Covid and made really stupid decisions etc.
fast forward to now, I went back to my roots of vintage baseball and have really gotten into TTM and private signing autos, of players/eras I’m familiar with.

I was able to get out of a football “investment” at about even and put the money aside for something that is smart but meaningful.

If you had $2k would you:
-make the jump for a low grade Koufax rookie and send in for an upcoming private signing? His fee is currently $1200/card. He’s 87 so not sure how long he’ll continue to sign
-continue to hold out for other options, and not feel guilty paying some fees this spring for Brett and Yount signings coming up

Thanks!!

I got back in the hobby (early eighties) when the rule was a signature devalued the card. More power to those that thought differently. Signed rookie cards seem to be all the rage and some athletes have a signed rookie cards as part of their autograph pricing tier. I would not buy a 1955 PSA/SGC 3 or lower Koufax rookie and then shellout $1200 for his autograph. Although I have some autographed cards (freebies at shows ex. Paul Blair) but it is just not my thing. With $2500 and a Koufax focus, I would purchase a 1956 Topps in PSA 7, a 1962 Topps PSA7 and a 1963 Fleer PSA 7 (always liked that card). The specific year could vary but the anchor would be the 1956 Topps PSA 7. Yes, 1955 is his rookie year but that card is pricey at a PSA 7. Why PSA 7? Early on, I decided that PSA 7 was good enough for post war cards.

I think your idea is solid. Could you get an altered one for even less that has better eye appeal? Once the auto is on it, that's what you'd get graded (although the slab would show it as Auth Altered).

Before dropping $1200, I would want to see a recent Koufax signature. He is 88 years of age and his hand might not be as stable. Granted it is signature at 88 years of age, but $1200 is a lot of iron. I attached a picture of Sparky Anderson's signature (died at 76) I obtained late in his life. Koufax's signature might be fine but I would want to know before dropping $1200.

According to the site, Koufax on a 1955 Topps is $3,750 (not $1,250) a pop!

https://stores.cardboardlegendsonlin...g-tier-5-item/

UNREAL
That's pretty good pay by the hour my goodness

I think you can generally find a signed Koufax rookie for between $3,000 and $4,000. I'm not sure it makes sense to spend $2,000 and then another $3,750 to get it signed. I'd just buy one already signed and pocket the difference.

Ha! I didn’t think I needed to scroll through tier 5! Pretty much answers my question :eek:

Yes for sure

I've never really been a huge auto guy, and this kind of thing is a good example of why.

Left arm of God or not, that's a ridiculous amount of money to expect to be dropped on an auto. I would wager that you can get a better conditioned '55 Topps Koufax already slabbed with the auto if you really want that and wait it out - eBay or AH or whatever - than if you buy one yourself, and go through that process. That plus it's true his auto is possibly deteriorating. Hank Aaron's that he signed near the end you can really tell. Some of them IMO look outright awful.

Agreed it's a risk, but not always - to counterpoint my post above.

Earlier last summer I got Carl Erskine's autograph TTM on his '56 Topps card. (For free, and back in less than 2 weeks). His auto looked just fine, and even still strongly resembled the facsimile one already on the card from nearly 70 years ago. Carl is 97...

Carl Erskine is another awesome ballplayer and human being that anyone could look up to. When these guys are all gone, no one fills their shoes. Not even close.

As one who obtained many autographs in person in the 80s at reasonable show prices, the going rates are tough to stomach. I did recently pay for a Carew private signing ($100, but it turned out rookie card was $200), and I figured it would be worth it to upgrade the rough Carew rookie card I had. Unfortunately the signature is less than stellar and a poor representation of his autograph. The eye appeal actually is diminished because it is a compacted, poorly formed autograph. If not for the JSA sticker on the back, it would seem worthless. Just hope you have better luck at the 4-figure fee.

Every thread can use a card. Here are a couple of my Koufax's:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...eacbd3da_c.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...22a98a12_c.jpg

To some degree, that can't be helped because it's a small space to begin with. If he signed with a Sharpie I can't imagine the autograph being legible at all, regardless of his age when he signed it, unless he used a fine point Sharpie.

Can you share a photo of the card?

As a Carew collector as a kid and now collecting autograph cards, it’s unfortunate that his is not anything like his “normal” signature. It almost like something happened about 5 yrs ago that’s affected it. I won’t get one from him now unless I find a cool Beastie Boys related item.
From what I’ve seen, Koufax still has a wonderful signature but not worth $3k for a rookie. I agree you can find them already slabbed for less.

The answer depends on the goal of the purchase. Fun? Collection? Make money? If it is make money, forget signings and go with an already-signed item that is certified. Koufax has been signing for decades, so there is plenty to choose from and be choosy about, and it sells at a discount to signing fees.

Interesting question, though, about how amazing these costs have gotten. I have only paid for one autograph signing in the last several years and it was strictly to get a rare item signed, a 1971 Dr. J rookie year team issue:

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...I%20signed.jpg

As for Koufax charging what he can get, hey, hate the game, not the player. if the market decides his charge has reached its ceiling, we will know.

I think about this a bunch when I see people standing for hours and spending big bucks to lose money on most auto costs.

I might be acting like the "I walked up the hill both ways to school" guy, but even as a GenXer I remember thinking the 20 or whatever bucks Mantle would charge was nuts at shows in the early 80's. All my autos are from appearances or the occasional fiver from mom that Kaline would charge at the mall when I was a kid.

I have plenty of certed autos in my office, but I bought them all. The two seconds of saying hi just doesn't make it worth the premium to me.

That said, everything is worth what people are willing to pay...so if they have a line for signatures then they are charging the right price.

I've been waiting for John Elway to do a signing forever so I can get his Yankees minor league card signed. I'd pay whatever he wanted.

He did have a health episode, I'm pretty sure.


As long as someone can flip a signed card for more than they paid, the prices will climb

Cards sold Sunday in heritage are already posted at 50% higher.. they didn't even SHIP yet

As I remember Carew had a heart and kidney transplant around 2017 after he had one or several heart attacks. Can't remember what led to it.

This is the route I would go. I would prefer to have an older signature vs one of his today. It just looks better and it’s less shaky. If it’s signed in pen, that’s ok as long as it’s bold.

He had a heart attack while golfing. The heart and kidney transplant were from a former NFL player who died in his 20’s from an aneurysm.