Autographed Cards

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Posted By: Bobby

I am hoping this board can enlighten me on why is it that graded baseball cards 30's, 40's & 50's that have an autograph sell for so little? I would think that it would enhance the value but it does not. And on the flip side if you see a autographed T206 they sell for a premium.

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Posted By: Tom Boblitt

TONS of 1950's/1960's/1970's cards out there to the point that if they're autographed it's really only worth the autograph amount for the most part. Plus many of those guys are still alive and still signing. Not many T206's that are autographed out there to begin with and pretty sure none of them are alive, so supply/demand.

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Posted By: DJ

I have owned hundreds of signed cards from the 1930's and 1940's, and only a couple of signed T206's. I think there was more energy geared toward obtaining signatures via the mail and at the stadium back then, as it wasn't really an idea back in the 1900's and even later in life when the players were still living. Nobody thought "Hey, Arlie Latham is still alive, I have to find him and get him to sign this card." I have seen a couple of Ty Cobb's and a Cy Young, but never seen anyone like Charley Carr or Bill Burns.

In the late 1970's and early 1980's, a lot of address books became available and players like Fred Parent and Rube Marquard (the two I have owned and seen most often) were probably asked a few times to sign their T206's and some collector's went that direction to get signatures of the shaky veterans via the mail or at events.

DJ

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Posted By: davidcycleback

Signed 1930s cards are undervalued at this time. I supect it won't last. Signed 1950s Topps and Bowmans are fairly plentiful. For the best 'investent' make sure the signature is sharp and clean. As DJ noted, signed T206s and Cracker Jacks are rarer as the players died earlier. Many of the 1930s-40s players lived into the 1980s and beyond.

The 1933-4 Goudeys and Diamond Stars are amongst the best cards to be autographed. The cards are attractive on their own. but they are also bright and light so the signatures show up well. Cards like the 1955 Bowmans aren't great for autographs, as they are dark and the many signatures don't show up well.