Autographed vintage rookie cards?
Some observations and questions:
1) It seems that autographed vintage HOF rookie cards have become more accepted by the hobby. I recall when I was a kid, the experienced dealers would tell me that getting rookie cards autographed was a massive no-no. So even though certain vintage HOF players were prolific autograph signers -- Brooks Robinson, Stan Musial, Bob Feller, Babe Ruth - all come to mind, it seems like the supply of autographed vintage rookies is still relatively rare.
2) A graded vintage star's rookie card with a graded autograph seems to be valued at 3-5x that of an equivalent, non-auto version. It depends on the specifics, of course, but I think that premium generally holds for say, Hall of Famers from the 1950s. It's probably even more for autographed cards from earlier vintages.
3) So using rough guides, this means that a 1954 Hank Aaron PSA 3 Auto 10 sells for roughly the same amount as a 1954 Hank Aaron PSA 6 or possibly a 7. Does this make sense?
4) Do you think this is a lasting trend? Is the old school thinking about autographs being a form of defacement on a rookie card dying out as old school collectors ride off into the sunset?
Last edited by bk400; 02-08-2025 at 05:01 PM.
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