[Scott Garner]

Originally Posted by Klrdds

Dear bam,
Welcome to the site and congratulations on deciding to collect HOFer autographs. I do not know your level of collecting expertise so I will assume none and offer my opinion based on 40+ years of collecting.
Saying you want to collect HOFer autos is an open ended statement . First of all are you going to try to get all of them, or as many as you can collect knowing that you will never get all of them...a complete set is impossible under any circumstances.
First of all determine what you want to collect-- a niche or all of them that you are able to get/afford.
Develop a knowledge of authentic signatures yourself, do not rely on TPAs or LOAs to do your work for you....do your due diligence and educate yourself on the authentic and non- authentic/ forgeries in the market. No matter what you do you will still make mistakes and buy a bad one every now and then, we all get fooled. Even after collecting for 40+ years I have to be careful and not get caught up in the excitement of a new find.
Develop a relationship with a group of dealers or AHs that you trust.
Use the expertise available on this site .....there is a wealth of knowledge here and people are honest on here because they have no interest but the truth and to help and educate....but do your work also, it is the only way to succeed.
Your ability to collect HOFers is limited by your desire, autograph availability/scarcity, and your wallet.
Addressing your points:
1. There is no need to buy slabbed autographs unless you want to resell or you want them slabbed for piece of mind. But remember TPAs make mistakes too, and you will pay for the slabbing.
2. You can acquire 200 easily depending upon the medium you want them on and your financial ability. It is possible to get into the 270-280s with deep pockets and some luck and patience. This is a long journey not a sprint. It has taken me 40+ years to get into the high 280s.
3. Storing slabs is a matter of your decision and whether you want to display or not display the autos.
4. I won't get into who has the best collection on this site. Anybody over 200-250 has a great collection, but any HOFer collection is great on its own merit showing determination and a search for what each collector wants and can afford. I started a long time ago and feel fortunate to be in the 280s and have no idea how I will get more or upgrade my collection.
Good luck because you must be patient , lucky, determined, well financed to a degree , willing to be taken every now and then, and know it is a project you can never complete( more on that later if you want to know more and why).
Good luck and Happy Collecting.

Kevin,
Very eloquently stated!