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1994 National Autograph Price List
Found this while cleaning out my basement, I think some will enjoy it. I BELIEVE this was Mantle's last public show. I remember there being NO line for Mantle, as $80 ($80!) for an autograph was unheard of.
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...psbjr2zoah.jpg http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...psew0zbxbx.jpg |
$80 for an autograph of a currently living athlete should still be unheard of.
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It is. What 90% of people don't understand is that the promoter sets all prices. If the promoter believes 150 people will pay the inflated rate, why should they set a fee that 600 would pay. If the athlete agrees to 800 autographs, the promoter makes his money on the 150 that pay the exorbitant amount and then they get to pocket 650 autographs for free. Or sell them to other dealers at a much lower rate. The good old days were when the promoter was hoping to break even on a guy like Mantle and divided the signing fee by 800 and that was your price. The last time I paid for Mantle at a show it was $20 and the promoter thought they were going to lose money the whole time. Only at the last minute were they able to go table to table and encourage dealers to buy more autographs. $20 and a six pack of beer went a long way back then. Jason
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When Bill Russell was signing autographs at a show in Boston around 1992 or so. They were charging $350.00. :eek:
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I have to admit to being one of the people that paid $200 for DiMaggio to sign a ball when he wasn't signing balls and the going rate for flats was $50 for him. I think it was 91 or 92. Mantle was still signing bats and jerseys at that time. This was kind of the beginning of the end. I wanted to get it signed in person and back then you could still get a photo with the guy. I still have the ball and the photo as well as the memories. I think he then proceeded to bark at the person in line behind me. Fun times.
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I can't remember what year it was but I was at a Gloria Rothstein show in White Plains that had Ted Williams, Mantle, and DiMaggio. They were all charging $100 each. I remember thinking that was crazy but I would kill to go back in time now.
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Looking at some of the "flat" prices, you'd be hard pressed to get that much today on resale. :eek:
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Depends on what the flat is. If you got the 56 Topps Mantle signed for 80 bucks you're doing pretty well today.
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Curious
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Yaz
I just noticed that Yaz was listed as a guest. What a rarity. He does one public signing a year and it is always in MA.
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I agree about some of the flat prices, but it all depends on what the flat is. Many of those HOFers photos can be had on ebay really cheap, so many of those prices are really a no gain situation.
It's the rise from these prices that makes me wonder why anyone would pay for something generic to be signed at $50 or more. As an example, I looked Juan Marichal. He was $12 then and a recent private signing is $35. A search on ebay show only 3 photos out of about 40 sold for more than $30. Many that sold had PSA certs, which of course, adds more to the cost. I am sure, I could find other examples as well. For me, unless it is a unique item, I will buy one on ebay rather than at a show or signing. |
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Yes, there are those who live in an area that does not have major shows nearby. I feel for you, but I would stick with mail order with the bigger promoters CSA, Tristar, MAB etc. |
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Adjusted for inflation, they are losses today. |
Bob Feller was always $10. :)
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The direct enemy of fraud is education. I have been collecting autographs since 1978 and have put a significant amount of time into educating myself about autographs. I have never ever claimed to be an expert, but I do feel very comfortable being able to identify good from bad for many player autographs. Armed with this knowledge, I can very easily sift out 99% of the bad autos on ebay of the ones I am interested in. If you, or anyone else, has not put the time and energy into the education, then it is very easy to be defrauded. I agree with many of your statements about the TPAs, which is why I only use them for items I am about to sell, if the cost of the process is less than the price difference I can get for a certed auto. Obviously, for many of the above players, the items are, for the most part aren't worth it monetarily. I am not against getting autos and shows or through private signings, but only for specific items that I can't buy one of somewhere else. If you need a specific card from a specific set that isn't around, I can def see paying a premium to get it signed. I paid $800 for a Muhammad Ali signing to get this magazine signed. Why? Because there was no other way to get it done. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...6613Annual.jpg On the other hand, why would anyone pay $395, Koufax's last private signing fee(2015), for a plain Koufax signed ball? You can get good Koufax signed balls on ebay for at least $100 less. Obviously, if you have no idea what Sandy Koufax's sig should look like, you should absolutely not be buying one on ebay, or anywhere else for that matter, except a show/signing. I can't tell you how many Derek Jeter and Mantle balls that a certain member of this board has bought off ebay cheapy simply because people don't know what they are supposed to look like and have no certs. If you choose to limit your autograph collecting to just those items you see signed in person, there is nothing wrong with that. I sleep like a baby and am totally comfortable in my experience and knowledge protecting me from bad autos. Have I ever been burned? Of course, it's a risk that is factored in when you collect autos. It's merely a matter of risk vs benefit. I am willing to accept, what I feel is a small risk, so that I can enjoy a wide range of autos in my collection. You don't feel that having deceased players in your collection is worth the risk. It's just a different way of looking at things. It's not a matter of right or wrong. |
Whoa, whoa, whoa....I did not state nor was it my intention to say that there is a right or wrong way to obtain autographs. How one obtains signatures depends on the comfort level of the collector. I have been collecting autographs since 1991 and fraud was a common complaint then. At the time, I just decided to try and get all of my signatures in person. There was plenty of signed material at the former Tuff-Stuff shows in Richmond, VA, but I did not buy anything. Heck, I drove all the way to Kentucky to see Mantle and the very next year he appeared at the Richmond show! All the major (Williams, DiMaggio, Mantle, Aaron etc.) signatures in my collection are IP. I branched out to TTM, mail order, family and friends because, I can't be everywhere and some signatures could only be had at a private signing.
I think it is great that you are comfortable with your knowledge/expertise of signatures to purchase on ebay or anywhere you please. This isn't my first rodeo but I am just not comfortable buying signed material on ebay or at shows. One has to wonder as to the authenticity of a Mantle or DiMaggio or Williams selling cheaply on ebay. Lesser names, sure, I have dropped under $20 on a Ferris Fain b&w 8x10 for a project I was working on. If the signature is fake, so be it. I have viewed what I believe to be bad signatures on this board but did not comment because I am not expert. Recently, there was a signed card that looked off to me but other experts said it was "good". The thing is without seeing it signed or a strong provenance, no one really, really knows. With bigger/popular/$$$ names I would be really careful. I would enjoy adding a Cobb, Ruth or other big names to the collection, but it would take an ironclad provenance before I would shell out any $$. On the subject of fraud, the entire PSA fake flips worries me. All I purchase is PSA slabbed cards and I am not an expert in flips and casings. |
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Perhaps I over reacted, but your very first statement was pretty demonstrative about how you felt. I also never said, you shouldn't be able to collect the way you want. I even stated exactly that there was nothing wrong with it. Of course the Mantle, Dimaggio, Williams that sell for $200 are bad. Those are the easy ones to spot. No experienced auto collector worth their salt would ever buy one of those. |
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I would agree with you there. Unfortunately, his last signing in 2015 was $395 for cards as well as balls. Plus $250 for each inscription. http://www.internetexclusives.com/sa...e-signing.html Mark |
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I have been saying this for years!! The promoters screw over the retail customer and then hook up other dealers and promoters with the 'backroom' wholesale price. It used to be that everyone paid the same price. But the promoter realized that they make more money this way, and the average customer is will pay it. They used to say that you are paying for the experience of meeting the athlete. Unfortunately, these days only a handful of athletes are even worth meeting. Most are talking on the phone, listening to music, or want extra money for an 'interaction'. Just not worth it in my opinion. I say that getting an item signed at a show is like buying a new car. The minute you walk away from that table, the value of the autograph just depreciated by 25%. Just take the retail price for a signing and divide by 2. That is what the wholesale/backroom price usually will be. |
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The tiered pricing and charging for inscriptions creases me a bit, but collectors were the cause for both. It used to be that the athlete would sign any item for a given fee. Well, then folks started flipping bats and jerseys for more than the fee and tiered pricing was born. While waiting in line for Brooks Robinson the collector in front of me asked Brooks to add, all 16 GG, MVP and HOF years, his lifetime HRs and batting average. I was in shock but Brooks added everything. I knew then it was only a matter of time before inscriptions would be limited or a fee would be added. Mind you some athletes are better than others, but I am not looking for (1) making a friend (2) having an experience. I just want my item signed. I do care how the athlete interacts with children. I am polite I say "Hello" and thank the athlete for coming out. If the athlete is engaging that is just gravy. The only athletes who seemed bothered having to sign autographs were Reggie Jackson, Pete Rose and Ken Griffey Sr.. As they get older Jackson and Rose are getting better, especially Rose. Living athletes who are exceptional, John Montefusco, Bert Blyleven, Jack Morris, Brooks Robinson, Cal Ripken, Lou Brock and Dwight Gooden to name a few. As I said the list of pure tools is small. The collector has the option of paying the going rate or taking a miss. I am have not added Randy Johnson to a HOF piece because I feel the price for an over sized flat is ridiculous. I can live without having RJ on the piece. I doubt I add Piazza either. As a collector I don't care if wholesalers are getting signatures at 1/2 price, they likely are getting generic items signed and are buying in lots of 50-100. I am building a collection, the wholesaler is running a business. |
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That mag is an amazing piece. Were you ever close to getting Unitas on it? |
Unfortunately not. I wish I could go back in time for stuff like this.
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agreed with mark and steve, lots of these guys are net losers today at those prices. i'd sleep pretty well at night paying $10 for feller etc hof signed pc on ebay knowing they are authentic. almost no one was getting rookie cards signed back then.
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