Not to hijack the thread (I can start a new one, if that's better), but what about old autograph books? Someone mentioned it earlier, I think. But what's the general opinion on cutting those up?
I found a really neat autograph book at an estate sale that contains mostly boxers. It dates to the 1940s and 1950s and has 70 to 80 signatures in it, including Joe Louis and Rocky Marciano, along with Marcel Cerdan, the boxer killed in the plane crash who was Edith Piaf's lover. (Apparently, a fairly rare signature.) Trouble is, it also has some basketball signatures, and even an old Bob Feller. So different collectors would be interested in different signatures.
Would people go nuts if I cut it up and sold the signatures individually? Each signature is on a separate page and the owner -- who I"m guessing stood outside Madison Square Garden over and over through the years -- wrote a little commentary about each boxer/player on the back of the page. It's neat to read his opinions on the guys. The book does have some historical value/charm as a piece, but in the end, I'd like to maximize my money. I'm torn (so to speak) about tearing it up. What are the various opinions on this practice? I know it's done all the time.
Thanks.
Rob
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