As I have been something of a burden to one of the main contributors here (Hi, Alan!) I thought I might try and contribute a little about the main subject here.
Since I got back into the hobby almost 10 years ago, my collecting has gone off in a number of directions. One long term project I started early on was working on a signed 1963 Fleer set. I currently have autographed versions of 63 out of 66 cards in the set . One of the early additions to the set was Brooks Robinson. I sent my card off to a 2102 public signing.
Even though I know it is good, at some point after I realized my signed 1963 Fleer set represented an investment for my eventual heirs, I had it authenticated by PSA.
The second Brooks item came to my through the same project. I sent a card off to a private signing with Chris Potter Sports. He ended up losing the card and refunding me my money. At some point later, as he was winding down that business, he found the card and sent it back along with some freebie autographed cards by way of apology. This included a Brooks autographed card which is, without a doubt, the freakiest card I have ever seen. It is a 1998 Fleer SI Art of the Game card.
Seriously, this card haunts my dreams.