Baseball Hall-Of_Fame Autographs

[Lordstan]

Al,
There is no magic formula for this endeavor. It's all about what makes you happy.
Do you like a certain medium more than the others?
How much room do you have to store or display?
How quickly do you want to do it? Are you patient?
How much money do you have to spend?

The last question only really factors into the second question (with the exception of certain very rare signatures). Meaning if you want to do it quickly, you will likely need more money. The budget doesn't really affect what medium you get. If you prefer to get a Ruth SS ball you may have to save up longer to get the money for it, but if that is really what is going to make you happy, then why not?

Remember, it's not a race or a competition. Collect what you really enjoy and you'll likely never b disappointed with your collection, no matter how big or small it is.
Best,
Mark

[theshleps]

I'd start with the deceased guys as in the long run the supply will be less on most of them and guys in that category will appreciate faster and be harder and more expensive to get later especially if you do cards. In the long run it might be better to get say a $100 signed card now like a Stengel than 3 very easy $30 cards.

[whyconform]

Been collecting for 7 years or so and have over 230 HOF'ers.


Simply put, if you stick to a certain type of item, it will get expensive......If you stuck to baseball cards.....you'll be getting expensive at over 100 HOF. Single signed baseballs? Forget about it......

Most important thing is that 1) it's authentic and 2) you like it.

I prefer flats, but do have 2 baseballs...

Also, I got stuck in the numbers game...get the cheapest autos of the cheapest guys...... But so far in...you'll really start wanting to replace the poor examples you have for some nicer ones...trust me.......Most of those were since sold and upgraded....

If I had to do it over, I'd suggest going for items with multiple autos targeting 1 or more rarer guy..., like team sheets/team baseballs/ etc.... You pay for really the most expensive player, and all the other guys are practically nothing.....

For example...Got a pirates autograph book from the 20's....I paid about 1,000 dollars.....and got Wilbert Robinson (he alone goes for that)..... But, also signed along with him were lee and paul waner, grimes, Bancroft, and traynor. If I bought those separately itd cost way more...

[Klrdds]

Good luck on making the decision to start collecting HoFer autographs. It is a common thing to hear from people and see on this site, but in reality it is much more than just "collecting HoFer autos".
My best advice is to buy the best auto you can find and afford that way you will be less tempted to try to upgrade that HoFer later. Decide how you want to collect, that is on what mediums ( flats, pics, balls, etc... ) you want the auto on, if that is a concern. Also do I want to display or store them ( framing and matting costs can eat into a budget rapidly), do they have to be PSA or JSA certed ( the best advice is to educate yourself on the player's signing characteristics and not rely solely on TPAs but yourself first and foremost), are you going to start with a particular category of HoFer first ( Yankees, 500 home run HoFers, umpires, etc...) because having a focus will help avoid confusion when multiple HoFer autos that you want become available all at one time: additionally and importantly is how many will I try to get of the total number of HoFers (310) in the Hall and what is the top end price I can afford to spend on a HoFer auto ( you will be able to get approximately 1/2 for under $400.00 easily if you don't want balls, contracts, letters, or photos of those HoFers). You should be very aware of the values and availability for the top 75-100 HoFer autos if you are not already. That may very well decide how "deep" you will want to go in your HoFer collecting.
You will also need to decide is this for fun or as an investment, because you will also need to figure out is it better to spend $300 for 1 auto or $100 on 3 autos... that is do I want to buy a harder to find auto or do I want to just get numbers of HoFer autos.
Realize that you will make mistakes , that is inevitable . We all have done it and it always happens , sorry to say.
I say this NOT to put a damper on your enthusiasm because I truly love to hear people say that and get pumped for it but to give you pause to consider the journey you are about to undertake. You can't just wake up one morning and say I am going to collect HoFer autos to any significant degree any more than you can say one morning I want to climb Mt. Everest. HoFer autograph collecting is the Mt. Everest of all categories of sports autograph collecting and without proper knowledge and preparation it will be hard yet ultimately rewarding!!!!!
I started this journey approximately 25-30 years ago and I am in the 280s-290s with little hope to get a complete set (310) of HoFer autos.
I did not mean to ramble but want to wish you GOOD LUCK on a great pursuit no matter how deep into it you go.

[joed25]

I would start collecting single signed baseballs. They are more expensive and many hall of famers are very rare or don't exist on a ball. But nothing looks better on your shelf than a single signed baseball IMO. Good luck!

[parker1b2]

The autograph part of my collection is now really just focused on HOFers. Currently at 110. I pretty much collect anything, but for the older deceased players I really like the way 3x5 index cards frame up with a nice photo. Also they are usually less expensive then photo or ball.

[skyrunner]

Thank you guys for all the input. There are so many ideas and thoughts. I will give each idea a good look and I hope that in the very near future, I will start and I am pretty sure that I will adjust the way that I approach collecting these great ball players.