There is no feeling in the world like rushing to the mailbox to look for folded-over envelopes with my handwritten address on them!
I haven't sent anything out in over a decade, which makes me feel old. I did think about it recently, but felt odd sending requests solely to add to my own collection. If I had a son interested in collecting, though, I would get him started doing exactly what I did as a young man -- write letters by hand and think of creative items to send (I would often send old newspaper clippings, book pages, etc that I found for pennies on ebay, along with an index card).
I think you have to do it yourself and do it the hard way to really get the value out of it. If I had just bought 8x10's and shipped them out en masse, I don't think I'd care about the items like I do now. As it is, I wouldn't trade my computer paper printouts of low-res internet photos with signatures of guys like Ace Adama, Elden Auker, and Moose Skowron for anything!
That being said, I have considered sending a request out to Carl Erskine. I got a very nice Roman vintage reproduction Brooklyn Dodgers cap for $10 on ebay, and it would look great with his fine signature on it. If I do, though, I think I will include a note that I've made a substantial donation to his autism charity -- he already beautifully signed a baseball for me 12 years ago, and I think that as an adult it is only right that his effort go towards a good cause.
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