New to collecting autos and the forum

[cottnat]

Welcome to the board and the hobby. You have already made a good decision by narrowing your collection down to a focus because there is no limit to the amount of things to acquire when you take a shotgun approach.

I too collect almost exclusively autographed baseballs, with a significant focus on single signed baseballs in blue with HOF inscription. Almost my entire collection has MLB, Steiner, UDA, Mounted Memories or Tristar Holograms because I havent had the time to be an expert on every HOFer signature. A handful of my autographs I obtained in person at Twinsfest (Killebrew/Carew/Molitor/Feller/Fingers/Jenkins/etc) or at local shows. If you go with the 1st party authentication, you will likely have to pay more vs. unauthenticated or in some cases the 3rd party companies (PSA or JSA).

I personally check around everywhere for autographs because you never know what you can find. You have to be EXTREMELY skeptical when buying off of craigslist, but thats probably where you can really get some of your best deals (vs. eBay where the auctions close at market value more often than not). I have purchased a Koufax for $50, a Burleigh Grimes for $60 (although not on a Rawlings ball), a couple of Puckett's for $30 each, a 1927 Yankees team ball for $1,000 and a UDA framed Michael Jordan 8x10 for $175 on craigslist.

You are going to get your best selection on eBay, but I would recommend being really patient. A lot of the guys that you can acquire for under $100 are readily available with whatever type of authentication you are looking for. You might also want to try to get some guys that are closer to kicking the bucket if you are wondering who to get first (although you obviously cannot predict that with 100% certainty). If you havent learned yet, once a HOFer passes away, their items will become extremely inflated as everyone races to get one (as much as 2-5x what they went for before). It will usually settle down, but just be aware that it is a reality of the hobby. It also can be nice to get guys a little earlier in their lives so that you can get a nicer auto (see Stan Musials older signature vs. his most recent). Again, its all personal preference, but most prefer a nicer signature.

It sounds like you have already done some TTM stuff, so you are already likely aware that you can get guys like Nolan Ryan and Bobby Doerr with donations. I am sure there is a compiled list if you want to go that route.

Another great way to add to the single signed HOF collection is Steiner's 3 for $99.99 sale that they have every so often. Here are some of the guys you can expect to make it on that sale:

Rollie Fingers, Juan Marichal, Gaylord Perry, Ralph Kiner, Fergie Jenkins, Orlando Cepeda, Luis Aparicio, Bobby Doerr.

Unless you are going to invest the time to get autographs in person (not at shows with inflated prices), you can't beat a HOFer (sometimes with HOF inscription) in blue on a Rawlings ball and 1st party authentication for $33. Many times they will have MLB holo on them as well.