Some advice needed about Musial's signature

[7nohitter]

Wow! That recent auto is horrible.....a shame.

[Danny Smith]

Stan is very sick and his signature on a good day is very poor. Some of the sigs these days are almost chicken scratch. I was at his office a few weeks ago in St. Louis and it is extremely sad to see him propped up to sign hundreds of items a day. Unfortunately it is the only way to get anything signed by him as he no longer flies and doesnt do shows (even locally) anymore due to his health.

[almostdone]

Hearing that makes me sad. I almost feel guilty asking about all of this. I wish I had the foresight to do this a few years ago but now I'm not sure what is the best thing to do.

Part of me wants to just leave him alone and let him try to have a little peace at this point in his life.

Any other thoughts?

Drew

[Mr. Zipper]

I don't think you mentioned what the item was, because in my view that makes a difference.

If it was a rare one of a kind item, I would probably keep it as-is.

If it is a more common item, I'd send it in and get it signed. Even if the sig is poor, it still passed through his hands, and ultimately that is more important than having a textbook perfect signature.

As a collector I have a long list of regrets from waiting too long on any number of people. Other than items that went missing and never returned, I can't think of one regret from sending an item.

[isaac2004]

Originally Posted by Mr. Zipper

I don't think you mentioned what the item was, because in my view that makes a difference.

If it was a rare one of a kind item, I would probably keep it as-is.

If it is a more common item, I'd send it in and get it signed. Even if the sig is poor, it still passed through his hands, and ultimately that is more important than having a textbook perfect signature.

As a collector I have a long list of regrets from waiting too long on any number of people. Other than items that went missing and never returned, I can't think of one regret from sending an item.

He has a Stan the Man record that is in pretty good shape

[GrayGhost]

Very sad to hear indeed. I loved Stan's signature. Seems we may lose another All time great legend soon.

Got this a while back from a Net54'er. This is how Id love to remember Stan's signature

[maniac_73]

Originally Posted by Danny Smith

Stan is very sick and his signature on a good day is very poor. Some of the sigs these days are almost chicken scratch. I was at his office a few weeks ago in St. Louis and it is extremely sad to see him propped up to sign hundreds of items a day. Unfortunately it is the only way to get anything signed by him as he no longer flies and doesnt do shows (even locally) anymore due to his health.

Am I the only one who thinks this is a terrible way to treat the man at this point in his life?

[isaac2004]

Originally Posted by maniac_73

Am I the only one who thinks this is a terrible way to treat the man at this point in his life?

I totally agree

I sure hope this is his request for his family, and not his family trying to squeeze every penny out of his hand

[JimStinson]

A Vintage signature signed at around the same time the record came out matted with the record and framed would work just fine. A vintage Musial signature would set you back around $35.00, cost of matting and framing maybe $75.00. Since he signed SO much in his life you might even be able to find one inscribed to your first name, which would lend a personal touch to it.
_____________________
Vintage autographs for sale daily pm me to sign up for my e-mail updates

[Mr. Zipper]

Originally Posted by maniac_73

Am I the only one who thinks this is a terrible way to treat the man at this point in his life?

Well, it does sound ghastly when presented in that way. But who knows... maybe Stan wants to keep signing to stay active in some way and/or to provide his family with additional income.

[isaac2004]

Originally Posted by Mr. Zipper

Well, it does sound ghastly when presented in that way. But who knows... maybe Stan wants to keep signing to stay active in some way and/or to provide his family with additional income.

I hope this isn't a John Henry Williams situation where the family grossly abuses the wants of an elderly man for profit.

[jgmp123]

Originally Posted by isaac2004

I hope this isn't a John Henry Williams situation where the family grossly abuses the wants of an elderly man for profit.

I follow his son on twitter because he often posts updates about his father, but lately all the messages are about him signing...I really hope it isn't the case...

[Lordstan]

I was in a very similar situation recently, but with Muhammad Ali. His signature has deteriorated very dramatically over time due to his Parkinson's. I had a Sport Magazine signed by Bobby Hull, Koufax, Mantle, Jim Brown, Bill Russell, and Willie Mays. It was missing Ali and Unitas. I went back and forth about getting Ali, because of the signature and the price.
I agree with Mike Navarro that there isn't a personal connection with a mail away item and so I decided to go for it, despite the sig quality. My lovely wife got me the sig as a Christmas gift.
While the sig is small, I am happy with it.



Given the cost is such a big part of your budget, I think Jim Stinson's idea makes a lot of sense.

[scmavl]

I'll make two points, which are related in my mind...

1. Having an item signed specifically FOR me (even though I'm simply sending it in with a check) makes it feel personal and much more special than something I bought on ebay. This is why I've never once thought of selling my Musial signed RC.

2. I wanted to get Killebrew's RC signed and was going to send it in with the $60 fee when I sent a donation to his organization but I decided to wait. (I probably blew that $60 on some modern crap) When I heard he was sick and thought "I'd better send this in NOW!", it was too late. He was no longer signing.

Yes, I could buy a signed Killebrew on ebay but it would never feel personal like the Musial does.

Food for thought...

[Cfern023]

delete

[thenavarro]

From the things you have written, I would say don't get it signed. I think the allure to you would have been the opportunity to have gotten it signed in person and it doesn't sound like that is going to happen. You mentioned the "romance" in asking for it to be signed and in the personal touch. Look at it this way, there is no romance in this potential business transaction, much like a hooker. He would sign it for $150 even if a serial killer was sending it to him. He's doing nothing special for you other then taking your hard earned money. I don't mean this to be demeaning to Stan at all, just trying to categorize it as a non personal business transaction. Since the dollar amount is material to you, I don't think you'd be happy if it looked like a chicken scratch. For the same $150, you could get a nice, flawless sig from his better signing days. It wouldn't have that personal touch to you, but remember, it wouldn't be a personal touch for him even if you send your own item in, it's just business to him and his family.

However, if I'm inferring wrong and it would mean a LOT to you to have his signature (whether good or bad) on YOUR particular item, then by all means, send it in. But, I think if that was the case, you wouldn't be asking the question in the first place.

Good luck and I hope you make whatever decision makes you happiest in the long run

Mike

[GrayGhost]

Originally Posted by thenavarro

From the things you have written, I would say don't get it signed. I think the allure to you would have been the opportunity to have gotten it signed in person and it doesn't sound like that is going to happen. You mentioned the "romance" in asking for it to be signed and in the personal touch. Look at it this way, there is no romance in this potential business transaction, much like a hooker. He would sign it for $150 even if a serial killer was sending it to him. He's doing nothing special for you other then taking your hard earned money. I don't mean this to be demeaning to Stan at all, just trying to categorize it as a non personal business transaction. Since the dollar amount is material to you, I don't think you'd be happy if it looked like a chicken scratch. For the same $150, you could get a nice, flawless sig from his better signing days. It wouldn't have that personal touch to you, but remember, it wouldn't be a personal touch for him even if you send your own item in, it's just business to him and his family.

However, if I'm inferring wrong and it would mean a LOT to you to have his signature (whether good or bad) on YOUR particular item, then by all means, send it in. But, I think if that was the case, you wouldn't be asking the question in the first place.

Good luck and I hope you make whatever decision makes you happiest in the long run

Mike

+1

[almostdone]

I truly appreciate all of the advice. I knew throwing it out here would be a good idea. I am able to see other perspectives about all of this on both sides.

At this point I am leaning away from doing it. The last post made a lot of sence. Whether I do it or not I am still planning on building a nice Musial display with some of the peices that I have. Once complete (probably after Chritsmas because I am so busy) I will post a few pictures to get everyones opinions.

For now here is a picture of the album in bebate

Thanks again for all of the input,
Drew