Is it worth it?

[earlywynnfan]

Personally, there is nobody I would stand in a huge line for anymore and pay quadruple the resale value, except one or two people who I "idolized" as a kid. (Kent Tekulve, maybe.) but 100+ just to say I got Frank Robinson who I can get on eBay for 30? No thanks.

[Johnny630]

Spending your hard hearned money on crazy in person autograph fees is never a investment. They make their money from fans who are emotionally attached to said player or moment. Best investment advice I can give you on said issue is to walk way.

[shelly]

It was fun when you Paid Mantle $50 and he would put in no7. Now to pay someone $200 to put down MVP is outrages.
Find the ball you like on Ebay and forget about waiting in line to spend a fortune on someone who might not even look up.:m ad:

[bnorth]

I am having the same thoughts. I have a 1981 minor league SGA Pawtucket bat I would love to get Wade Boggs to sign. Same problem as has been said already. I can buy a store model bat already signed for half of what it would cost to have him sign my bat at the National.

[Lordstan]

IMO, The values in signings today fall into one of 2 categories.
1) It's worth paying it if you have a specific item that is important to you.
As an example, I paid $325 for Aaron to sign this program a few years ago to complete it. Personally, I think $325 is crazy for Aaron, but it was the last one I needed on it.



2)The second scenario I see is for people who need some something signed to complete a set(like cards). Sure, you might find one much cheaper on ebay, but the less common the set the less likely you'll find it. Same applies for say a ball with a specific inscription that is off the beaten path.

If it's not something you are likely to find elsewhere, It might be worth spending the money so you can enjoy it. I would never pay the prices for something generic.

[mr2686]

Originally Posted by Lordstan

IMO, The values in signings today fall into one of 2 categories.
1) It's worth paying it if you have a specific item that is important to you.
As an example, I paid $325 for Aaron to sign this program a few years ago to complete it. Personally, I think $325 is crazy for Aaron, but it was the last one I needed on it.



2)The second scenario I see is for people who need some something signed to complete a set(like cards). Sure, you might find one much cheaper on ebay, but the less common the set the less likely you'll find it. Same applies for say a ball with a specific inscription that is off the beaten path.

If it's not something you are likely to find elsewhere, It might be worth spending the money so you can enjoy it.

+1

[Michael B]

There is only one person at The National this year that I would consider paying to sign and that would be Oscar Robertson. If you want a signature of him other than 'Big O' you have to pay. I have two items that I would pay to have him sign as his signature is very nice - a 1960 Olympic gold medal ticket and a special postal cover issued by the Italian Olympic Committee. They issued covers for all of the gold medalists at the games. The Cassius Clay one shows up on ebay every so often. I have some of them signed so it would be nice to have him sign it. West and Lucas would be challenging, but the other living members of the team - Haldorson, Arnette, Imhoff and Smith are all pretty good TTM. If I just wanted a full name signature on anything I would buy a copy of his book on biblio or abe. I just picked up an early 1960's clip for $14.00

[mr2686]

Mostly in agreement with everything already said. I collect HOF single balls (as well as other things) but I'm not going to pay an over the top amount for a player to sign a ball, when I can go on the secondary market and pay far less. This, however, does not help me when I need my HOF book signed or a lithograph or multi-signed bat...things I would never send in the mail and would only want to get in-person. If I knew then what I know now, my collecting focus would have started out differently.