[Fballguy]

Great points as always Bob. I've never viewed an autograph as a commodity, though I know these days it is. I'd never buy an autographed jersey, card or photo of a current (or recent past) player because it doesn't mean anything to me...unless maybe I got it in person. An autograph's value, in my mind anyway, is that it commemorates a memory or an experience. If it doesn't come with that, it loses value to me. All of the autographs in my collection (with exception of some long dead players and coaches from the 40's and 50s), I got in person at training camps, hotels and stadiums. I've never thought of their monetary value because those memories are priceless. And I still stand by my comment that it isn't hard to get NFL players autographs in the stadium. I've done it many times.

It's hard to not get cynical when you see what some players are charging for their autograph, especially when they're modern players making modern salaries. If it's a guy from the 60's or 70s, I get it. But is Tom Brady so hard up he needs to charge hundreds if not thousands for his signature? Doesn't his wife give him an allowance?