HOF Autograph Collectors....
 

I know that there are a few of us here at Net54 that collect Hall of Fame autographs and I have always wondered how many collectors are over the 200 mark. I am currently sitting at 202 and know that it was very tough to get to that point.

I thought it would be a good idea to connect with others who are collecting HOF autographs and are close to the 200 mark. There could even be a few of us that have some duplicates of tough signatures that they could be willing to part with.

Look forward to hearing from some others...

47...and i feel like it's taken forever...

At the 187 mark (including 87 received IP), thought I had 188 last night from Memory Lane auction, but item got too high at the last moment. I know of at least 4 on the board with over 200. A suspect there are a lot more.

I am picky with what I buy as I don't like pure "cuts" and currently have very few in my collection, but will probably change soon. It is getting tougher to learn to wait for a good deal and not to buy just to buy.

No Doubles that I would consider rare (worth over $100) at the moment of BBHOF.

Yeah...The majority of mine are cuts, as I figured that would be the only affordable way for me to even begin the collection. I am interested in hearing how many of us are out there...

I've been sitting at 170 (176 if you count announcers) for awhile, mainly because I've been working on team projects. 200 won't take much, but after that it will be a bit up hill.

I believe I'm on # 192. I started getting a little disinterested when I got to names like Chylak, Ruppert, O' malley etc. I also enjoy collecting HOF model gloves and got sidetracked into other projects as well. Nevertheless I will continue to plug away at it. BTW James, nice Freewebs site. Do u pay a monthly fee for that or is it a free site?

I'm at 80. I got a lot of catching up to do! :)

BTW, most of mine are on HOF postcards. Once I get to a certain point, signed index cards and/ or cuts will be the only realistic medium.

I'm at 155.
Mostly 3x5's, Plak's and whatever else Stinson & Simon come up with:D

I actually paid a flat fee of like $40 for 2 years...it seemed like a pretty good deal and it keeps things looking nice...

I feel like I try so hard yet get nowhere. Im at 93 and it seems like a never ending battle. I have many non-hof autos that I would be willing to get rid of to accomplish my goal if anyone is interested in trading.

I have a full set of hof plaque postcards and hundreds of duplicates. I'm at 95% on the Perez Steele hof set, needing mostly the later inductees. Staying away from the other variations from PS since i'd like to eat steak once in a while.

Here's one I'll bet none of you have: Katsuya Nomura, who won a Triple Crown, four MVP Awards, hit 657 home runs, and was elected into the HOF in 1989.


OK, so it was all in Japan and many of his homers were cheapies. Still, I think it's pretty cool.

Ken

HOF Autograph Collectors....
 

Ken,

He was certainly a stud in Japan, but is he in the MLB HOF?? I've never seen him on any of the official lists...

No, he's in the Japanese HOF. That's the best I can do!

I'm in the Alhambra California sandlot baseball HOF. Please PM me for autograph price lists. Inscriptions extra!! :D:D:D

Since no one can ever complete a set of HOF autographs due to extreme rarities, what do you consider complete for your own personal collection?

I am at 232 and am totally stalled. I will add someone someday, but it is crazy expensive and the prices seem to be ever-rising.

Yes, it is impossible to complete, but that is almost part of the draw. I don't have a number, I would just like to add when I can.

Wow... Kudos!

I considered it complete to my satisfaction to get to 200...that was hard enough!! Now being at 203, I am now trying to get to 215....

I have several Cuban HOFers.










[sound of crickets]


Tom C

Haven't been on the boards in a week. Crazy end of summer festivities :)

I'm at 218, latest being Hilton Smith.

I don't expect to go over low 220's (based on current 300 members). Of course, it will naturally grow w/ every election. I've covered most of the future guys already.

Since I am probably stuck for a while, I've been purchasing GPC's and some older vintage autos to replace some older aged autos and cuts on sports cards. Only $100+ autos I plan to sell soon is a Larry MacPhail letter as I have a GPC and maybe a Ted Williams UD on card auto.

I have a website but it is sooooo outdated. Maybe one day I can update and share.

Love the thread.....I am always interested in seeing the # of guys people have, and collection pics....

When I started, 175 seemed impossible. Then, 200 I said I was going to stop. I think I sat down one day and tried to figure out how many you can get under $1000 per max (flats)and came up with like 220ish, so I think that's where I put a limit on (of course Ruth/Gehrig and guys like those are requirements, so they made me break that limit)...

Once you get to around 220, the jump from 220 to 230 is a lot of coin and time/patience...

I said the same..."when I get to 200, I'll stop", but the. 201, 202, and now 203 came along. I still need to add Gehrig, Walter Johnson, and Grover Alexander. After that I think I'll be content! :)

GC Alexander and Comiskey are my top 2 wants to get to 220, then I'll be content lol..

This guy has a lot, but I am not sure if some are real as he has some rarities..... Maybe some can chime in on autos they think may be fake from this collection...

http://www.sportscardforum.com/threa...HOF-Collection

Bill,

Some of those (a lot of the rare ones) look just horrible. I would say 75-90% of the cuts are bad along with the Cobb, Ruth and the Hilton Smith (It is like a mix of Hilton Smith and a Turkey Stearns signature). I wonder if he paid more than $100 for that Josh Gibson.

I have never been to that forum before, but well aware of it's existence.

Moral of the story, know who you are buying from and do your research.

Don't like the Doug Harvey :)

Agreed. He has some nice stuff and a few rarities that look legit to my quick glance (Bill Foster comes to mind), but most of his cuts look WAYYYYY off to me.

The Evers and Mathewson cuts are straight laughable.

You can include the Jackie Robinson, Josh Gibson and Tris Speaker. Oof!

Indeed. I also doubt his Billy Hamilton. Not because it looks fake to me, but because it is so damn rare that I haven't even researched it, and he's got so many other Coaches' Corner specials that I won't even give it another look.

I hope he enjoys his collection and never tries to sell it...

Most of the one's, other than the commons, look real bad. Looks like someone shopped at CC.

Good thing I posted. I remember hinting to him here and there (even back in the day when I wasn't nearly as educated) that there were many 'suspect' looking autos in his collection. I don't believe he wanted to hear it and seemed to have gotten defensive quickly.....

By the way, I think he has HOF collections from other sports too if you went to the forum.....

I started to see that but quickly realized that I am not educated enough in other sports to render an opinion. However, one thing I have learned is that once a collector is open to buying shady autographs, whether through CC or another venue, they tend to continue.

Yeah...the guys collection is certainly a Coaches Corner special...EEK!!!:eek:

Guys,

Please let me know if you ever see anything sketchy in my collection... :)

James, I hate to be the one to tell you but...your whole collection is bad. I really feel bad, so I'll offer you $100 for the whole lot. :D

That guy should ask himself why almost all of his cuts and rarer autographs are shaky looking. Clear fakes IMO.

Where did you get all those fakes from?

Brock,

We can trade straight up for your Yankees and Game Used bat collections!! :)

James, I looked through part of your collection quickly and noticed you have a nice amount of fakes.

You serious Joe? Which ones would those be?

What items are you referring to?

Hank Aaron baseball, Ernie banks baseball, Yogi Berra Photo. There are more. You asked us to point out fakes so I am. I normally don't go searching through buckets looking for fakes.

Dizzy Dean, Richie Ashburn, Rod Carew...

Joe,

You are looking at the wrong thing...this is a thread about Hall of Fame Collections. You will see a link on my page that says exactly that; "HALL OF FAME COLLECTION". I am familiar with some of the crap in the "Baseball Collection" folder :mad: . If you have some free time please take a glance in the HALL OF FAME COLLECTION folder.

Dizzy Dean was purchased from Richard Simon...your opinion, Is its fake?

All the items I mentioned were from your "Hall Of Fame" section. There are many more fakes. I would never dare to argue with Richard Simon but it looks like a kid drew that Dizzy Dean.

I don't have an Ernie Banks ball or a Yogi Berra ball in my HOF collection, actually have a signed Ernie Banks program and a Yogi picture. I'll talk to Richard about the Dizzy...one issue could be that it is pixilated due to the size, but it isn't slowly drawn if that is what you are referring to....thanks for the feedback.

Ernie Banks Ball: http://www.freewebs.com/jgmp123/apps...toid=168434514
I meant a Yogi Photo.

Yeah Banks is bad. Not sure why that's in the HOF collection folder...the Banks should be the program....Yogi photo is good in my opinion an purchased from a reputable dealer here on Net54.

Here is a closeup of the Dizzy Dean.....

To me, it comes down to "would I buy it" not "is it fake?" You have stuff in your collection I wouldn't feel comfortable buying.

Pointed out by someone who I know as an "Expert", this Dizzy Dean autograph is specific to 1938, at which time Dizzy Dean was only 28 years old. I have had several PM's sent confirming the authenticity of the Dean autograph.

I really don't mind disagreements over a $20 Banks or Berra, but this Dizzy Dean piece is 100% authentic.

I was referencing some of the lower tier autographs but I wouldn't buy the Dean because I wouldn't be comfortable with it (it may very well be totally good).

Definitely not authentic.

Chris,

You believe that this Dean from 1938 is not authentic???? I would have to disagree 100% with you. It is a perfect example.

James, first off the Carew, Berra and Ashburn all look good. I'm pretty sure that the Aaron ball is also good but his changes so much over the years that I prefer to get his in person, and I didn't see a Banks on there.
As for the Dean, I understand where people would think that it's fake. It does seem like a child signed it, but I've seen others from that same time period and although they were not "exactly" like that, they were definitely not like his later sigs which had good flow and slant to them. As someone else said, it's not a question of whether it's real or fake, but of do you feel comfortable with it. For me personally I would have passed, even though it's from Richard.

Here we are at the very crux of autograph collecting. We have opinions and opinions of those giving the opinions. Whatever gives a slice of collectors peace of mind is what gives an item value (or not).

Wayne, I agree with that and that's what I was trying to say. If I buy an item that is "not the norm" but has been authenticated by people I trust, then fine, but chances are (at least for me) it's going to bother me every time I look at it framed on the wall...unless it's a once in a lifetime type thing and then I would live with it happily.

Agreed. Even if the Berra/Ashburn/Carew are legit, I wouldn't buy them since they don't look 'right' to me. Also, since there are so many examples of their typical signatures for low prices, I would get one I'd be more comfortable with.

Mark,

Those are all items that can be upgraded over time as well...I am more concerned with the authenticity of the likes of Ruth, Lajoie, Cobb, Wagner, etc. The big ticket items that I feel are all authentic. :)

If you believe they are authentic-why are you asking ? Are trying to figure out if they are authentic vs. real? :confused:

I feel this thread started out great and has taken a major turn. If you are questioning the authenticity of a few specific items or simply want comments on your webpage-why not set up a different thread? Also, I would be more specific and be prepared for answers you may not want to hear, regardless if they are right or wrong.

I would get rid of those fake baseballs in your collection. I noticed a few of them. I could be more specific if you'd like. I'm glad you took down the photo of the fake Ernie Banks from your website.

The Ernie was the wrong item. The Ernie is actually a signed program. You will see it is updated.

I am fine with the feedback, but when I get a "It's a horrible fake" with no supporting evidence on an item that was purchased by a highly reputable person, I will ask additional questions. Wouldn't you?

I would never do such a thing :p
(See below thread for the one time I did)

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthr...+harris&page=2

Lesson I learned from the board, don't buy an autograph and THEN ask for an opinion (especially one you don't want to hear, even if correct). I did go out and buy another Harris signature from Rich after this thread and took the original out of circulation.

Wow...so many of you in the 200+ range, that is amazing. I thought my collection was solid, but I haven't even cracked 100. My collection is completely comprised of Autographed baseballs and I am currently sitting at 88. A handful of guys I am sort of cheating with since they are all on my 27 Yankees ball, but due to the amount of money I would have to fork out for them individually, that is going to have to be how it is. I have a handful of guys that should be shoe ins for the HOF, but I haven't added them until they actually get there (i.e. Griffey Jr, Maddux, Frank Thomas) Here is my list.

1. Bert Blyleven
2. Rickey Henderson
3. Cal Ripken Jr
4. Tony Gwynn
5. Paul Molitor
6. Eddie Murray
7. Gary Carter (D)
8. Ozzie Smith
9. Dave Winfield
10. Kirby Puckett (D)
11. Nolan Ryan
12. George Brett
14. Steve Carlton
15. Reggie Jackson
16. Tom Seaver
17. Rod Carew
18. Jim Palmer
19. Joe Morgan
20. Carl Yazstrzemski
21. Johnny Bench
22. Willie McCovey
23. Harmon Killebrew (D)
24. Brooks Robinson
25. Frank Robinson
26. Hank Aaron
27. Bob Gibson
28. Al Kaline
29. Willie Mays
30. Ernie Banks
31. Mickey Mantle (D)
32. Whitey Ford
33. Monte Irvin
34. Yogi Berra
35. Stan Musial (D)
36. Ted Williams (D)
37. Burleigh Grimes (D)
38. Bob Feller (D)
39. Joe DiMaggio (D)
40. Duke Snider (D)
41. Juan Marichal
42. Sandy Koufax
43. Fergie Jenkins
44. Orlando Cepeda
45. Luis Aparicio
46. Rollie Fingers
47. Ryne Sandberg
48. Carlton Fisk
49. Lou Brock
50. Warren Spahn (D)
51. Tony Perez
52. Robin Roberts (D)
53. Eddie Mathews (D)
54. Bobby Doerr
55. Gaylord Perry
56. Ralph Kiner
57. Rick Ferrell (D)
58. Billy Herman (D)
59. Phil Rizzuto (D)
60. Robin Yount
61. Ron Santo (D)
62. Hoyt Wilhelm (D)
63. Hal Newhouser (D)
64. Andre Dawson
65. Babe Ruth (D)
66. Don Drysdale (D)
67. Lou Gehrig (D)
68. Waite Hoyt (D)
69. Earl Combs (D)
70. Herb Pennock (D)
71. Lou Boudreau (D)
72. Bob Lemon (D)
73. Red Schoendiest
74. Enos Slaughter (D)
75. Phil Niekro (D)
76. Ray Dandridge (D)
77. Wade Boggs
78. George Kell (D)
79. Roberto Alomar
80. Johny Mize
81. Larry Doby (D)
82. Pee Wee Reese (D)
83. Don Sutton
84. Jim Bunning
85. Buck Leonard (D)
86. Willie Stargell (D)
87. Dennis Eckersley
88. Bill Terry (D)

So jealous of the guys in the 200+ group, hoping to get there one day. Currently at the 97 mark and hoping to be over 100 by end of year.

I am at 35 different and counting. I will one day update my photobucket site and share all my baseball hall of fame autos. I like getting perez steele's, gold hof plaque and trying to add some of the black and white ones and also the first day cover envolpes are cool, and have 3 auto baseballs of Hank Aaron, Bob Feller and Bill Mazeroski

Not to be morbid here, but just stating a fact, that as of next year there will be 29 living hof'ers that are 75 or older, and of those there will be 15 that will be 80 or older. It's bad enough we lose them way too early like Puckett and Carter, but we are coming up on a time in the next few years that we could lose a bunch of the all time greats. I would recommend to anyone, especially if you are just starting or have not been doing this too long, to pull op a list of living hof'ers and start with some of the oldest. In the long run you'll be glad you did especially if you can get them in person.

+1!!

Great point. That is why I have added doubles to my collection.

+1

Chris,

You really need to learn to let things die some times.

What do you mean by that, James?

Please explain.

Don't worry it wasn't a jab regarding the long-winded thread regarding a response from Travis. That post from Taz was made 3 days ago. Let it go already. I know you think the Dizzy Dean auto is a fake. I just choose to disagree.

I didn't get back to this thread until this morning.

I will continue the conversation under the appropriate thread.

I'm cuurently at 44 living (soon to be 45 when I get Cepeda back from s private signing this month) with 28 deceased for a total of 73.

I honestly feel like I should have so many more. I started collecting HOF autos in 1987 at the age of 9. I grew up outside of Cooperstown (hence the name) but Ive never had any focus in my collection. Numerous dupes in the collection, and Im all over the place in terms of what I have them on (bats, balls, cards, HOF postcards, 8x10s, etc). So many guys I had the opportunity to get in Cooperstown (Gehringer and Bell come to mind immediately) and never did.

Wrong thread