Future of signed photos in the hobby?

[JRS123490]

I meant more generic photos. Like the common guys. Older guys that are uncommon on photos like Lombardi will most always do well.

[Huck]

Originally Posted by JRS123490

I meant more generic photos. Like the common guys. Older guys that are uncommon on photos like Lombardi will most always do well.

There are tons of generic signed photos out there. Bob Feller died a decade ago and the price for a signed Feller photo has not moved. Why? Because Feller was a prolific signer. He signed at every piggly wiggly, car dealership, museum opening in just about every state. Feller was a great guy, affable and a true ambassador for the game but his signature is not in short supply. Jim Palmer is the new Feller.

Value wise a single signed baseball is worth more than a signed photo. A signed bat even higher.

https://www.psacard.com/smrpriceguid...autographs/177

I would have thought that a signed photograph of prewar players would be worth more than a signed ball. Players of that era likely signed more baseballs than photographs. I have seen people bring photographs to a game but in that era? I guess equipment will always rank higher than photographs.

Signed cards - I am in the camp that a signature defaces the value the card. It is a small niche within the hobby. I marvel at the collector on this board who is trying to complete a signed 1987 Topps set. Again, scarcity. Fewer collectors get cards signed. If demand for signed cards is on the rise with limited supply, prices increase. I just can't drop $130 for Cal Ripken to sign a card.

I just can't bring myself to start getting baseballs signed again. I have a few bats but collecting bats is a storage problem, I don't want to manage. Plus with tiered pricing it is costly to get bats signed.

[todeen]

Originally Posted by JRS123490

I meant more generic photos. Like the common guys. Older guys that are uncommon on photos like Lombardi will most always do well.

I think pictures of celebrated moments will always do well. Aaron Boone's playoff home run, joe Carter's excitement jumping around the bases, todd Frazier winning the home run derby in cincinnati. It is all about context. Find the right picture and moment, and you will have a more desirable item.

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[Seven]

Wanted to chime in. I started collecting signed 8x10's very recently. As long as they're coming from a reliable place, I believe I will continue to do so. They're great ways to get a signature of someone you really want for a not too expensive price point. They can also make nice displays if done properly and not in direct sunlight (Though I'm still learning on this part, if anyone would like to offer the best way to go about displaying signed 8x10's please let me know)
I'm a card collector first, but if a nice 8x10 pops up of a guy I don't have yet, or have been wanting then I'll probably purchase it.

[Fuddjcal]

Originally Posted by Seven

Wanted to chime in. I started collecting signed 8x10's very recently. As long as they're coming from a reliable place, I believe I will continue to do so. They're great ways to get a signature of someone you really want for a not too expensive price point. They can also make nice displays if done properly and not in direct sunlight (Though I'm still learning on this part, if anyone would like to offer the best way to go about displaying signed 8x10's please let me know)
I'm a card collector first, but if a nice 8x10 pops up of a guy I don't have yet, or have been wanting then I'll probably purchase it.

Very easy. take a ink jet photo copy of the 8 x 10 on photo paper and store the original in a top loader. The copy looks better every time and it won't fade off.

[homerunhitter]

My one and only concern with Signed photos Is, in 20-30 years when my family goes to sell my signed photo collection will there be an issue with them selling a signed psa authenticated photo that I bought on eBay that might not be an official photo (bought that way not knowing if it was officially licensed or not) . Don’t want to put them in An awkward situation if they just want to sell my collection in the future.

[Michael B]

Originally Posted by homerunhitter

My one and only concern with Signed photos Is, in 20-30 years when my family goes to sell my signed photo collection will there be an issue with them selling a signed psa authenticated photo that I bought on eBay that might not be an official photo (bought that way not knowing if it was officially licensed or not) . Don’t want to put them in An awkward situation if they just want to sell my collection in the future.

You are overthinking this a little bit. Once the photo is signed it becomes more than just a non-official photo. It becomes a collectible with hopefully greater intrinsic value than the photo. I doubt there is anyone that would not buy a good photo with a good signature due to the fact that the photo is not officially licensed. With most photos there is the photographers copyright and the MLB licensing of the team logos and color schemes. It is not just one issue. It would be difficult for MLB to prevent someone from selling a single signed photo of a player that is not licensed and not worth the effort. They are more concerned with the entities selling multiple copies of photos of say Mike Trout unsigned without paying the license because Trout is wearing an Angels uniform. This would even apply to the photographer who took the photo. That is one reason why so many print ads and commercials show pro athletes wearing generic uniforms with similar color schemes to their teams uniform, but not exact and usually with an imaginary or no logo. Let's not even get started with Getty Images. They try to assert copyright on photos they have no rights to. The archivist at the US Olympic Committee told me that they sent a demand letter to stop them from using certain photos. The problem was the USOC owns the negatives. That shut up Getty pretty quickly. I would give them a hammer and directions to the beach so they can go pound sand...

[homerunhitter]

Got it! My head was spinning with all those big words! To put it in lamens terms, your saying that in your opinion you think it soul be ok to still collect and sell signed photos that happen to be unlicensed? Thanks