To have memorabilia signed or not

[ksfarmboy]

Originally Posted by drc

Reading the gameuseduniverse board, many collectors like to have their game used items sighed, and a number are against it. Someone would remove signatures if they could. So it's split opinion there.

David I think you are right over there. I wonder what the ratio would be if we just included the vintage collectors only?

[Lordstan]

I think the correct answer is whatever makes you happy. There is validity to both sides of the debate.

In my mind each item should be judged individually.
Would a 1938 Hank Greenberg jersey signed in 1980 in sharpie really be worth less than an unsigned one? In reality, it would still be a game worn jersey. Perhaps a hardcore uniform collector might prefer it unsigned, but it's hard for me to really believe that an autograph would prevent someone from bidding as much as they would've otherwise.

I could see where if two same/similar uniforms came up for sale at the same time, one auto'ed and one not, it could play out like this. The bidders interested in it because of the autograph would like bid on just the signed one. The jersey specific collectors would likely bid higher or more aggressively on the unsigned one, but likely still bid on the signed one. Especially if the blank one was sold first and they didn't win it.

I think another thing to consider is the strength of the connection to the player. Having a generic Chicks jersey signed by a random former Chicks player, IMHO, wouldn't be worthwhile. If you have very strong evidence that it was his jersey, I think it could be beneficial.

Another option would be to buy a fountain pen and have him sign it with that to give it a more vintage feel.

So again, I say do what makes you happy.

Best,
Mark

[Gary Dunaier]

I agree with those who say you shouldn't get the item signed. In my mind it destroys the "integrity" of the original piece.

I once caught a home run ball at a game, and people (non-collectors) often tell me I should get it signed by the player who hit it. I wouldn't do that because the ball wasn't signed when it was used in the game, and it wasn't signed when it was hit over the wall, and it wasn't signed when it bounced off the seats behind me and flew into my hand.