Whiy is an autograph on a card worth 10X

[UKCardGuy]

Originally Posted by Republicaninmass

I always hated to look and storage of signed balls. 8x 10 photos dont have that vintage look. For a player to HAVE TOUCHED his own card, and the thought of the story that went along with it, is magic to me. Long before card shows, cards would have had to have been carried to the ball park with the luck to get it signed.

I think that's a great point. But i really like signed balls, especially baseballs that show their age. For the same reasons that you give.. .i like the thought that a kid at a ballpark getting a ball signed by his heroes. I prefer old multi-signed balls for that reason. Bright white balls autographed on the sweet spot in sharpie might grade well, but they're just a bit saccharine to me.

I have a feeling that most of the signed cards we see (even older vintage cards) were signed at a modern card show.

[packs]

How about another signed card for the thread. One of my all time favorites:

[Michael B]

I can understand trying to complete a set of signed cards. When I was an in person collector at the hotels in the 1980's and 1990's I was mostly an index card person and still am though now no sharpie, ballpoint pen only (mostly Cross pen). I had won the '83 Fleer baseball set in a raffle and did work on that. I did get about half the set done and they looked good. These days I may still get a few TTM when they are sent to my by Olympians, but I trade them off or give them away. For true Olympic collectors it is usually fan postcards or 4x6 photos. Ones like this one in fountain pen are great looking.

Pistulla,-Ernst-(1938)---1.jpg

Ernst Pistulla won a silver medal in boxing at the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam. Lightweight champion of Germany. Killed in action on the Russian Front, September, 1944.

[Schlesinj]

I will add if not already mentioned in the scarcity point that from a collector standpoint back in the day they did not sign rookie cards or people did not want to ruin a card with a signature. That logic made a supply issue and now sediment has changed.

Frankly, I think that the modern world has helped flip this adjustment. With all inserts with signatures now the most valuable cards (due to forced scarcity) that it opened up the demand for vintage card autographs.

[Mark70Z]

Originally Posted by Schlesinj

I will add if not already mentioned in the scarcity point that from a collector standpoint back in the day they did not sign rookie cards or people did not want to ruin a card with a signature. That logic made a supply issue and now sediment has changed.

I’m sure some people had rookie cards back in the day (hence the vintage signed rookie cards) and I believe the general consensus was not to ruin the cards (that was my thought at least) by getting them signed. There were so many other mediums that were more popular with collectors, i.e. balls, photos, index cards, bats, etc.

Since the logic changed, for the most part (including myself), now if you want a vintage signed card the supply is limited.

I really am a single player collector (Brooks Robinson) and about three years ago I started a side project to acquire all of his regular issue cards signed; this was due to someone showing their collection and their signed cards looked really cool. I figured I had a few in my collection from in the past, but only found one and it was rough. Anyway, if you know Brooks he signs “everything”, but finding nice vintage examples are tough. Also, as mentioned in the thread, some are light, different locations on the card, up, down, blue, black, sharpie, etc. (not all cards are the same w/an auto).

At least in my experience the signed cards are not 10x higher, but I have very narrow focus.

[egri]

Originally Posted by Mark70Z

I’m sure some people had rookie cards back in the day (hence the vintage signed rookie cards) and I believe the general consensus was not to ruin the cards (that was my thought at least) by getting them signed. There were so many other mediums that were more popular with collectors, i.e. balls, photos, index cards, bats, etc.

When I was first getting into the hobby around 2006, the first vintage card I bought was a 1949 Bowman Bobby Doerr. As I was paying for it, I was telling the LCS owner I planned to send it in to him to sign, and before I could finish the sentence he was shaking his head no. I eventually came around.

[Mark70Z]

Originally Posted by egri

When I was first getting into the hobby around 2006, the first vintage card I bought was a 1949 Bowman Bobby Doerr. As I was paying for it, I was telling the LCS owner I planned to send it in to him to sign, and before I could finish the sentence he was shaking his head no. I eventually came around.

Scott,

A number of years ago I was just like the dealer; just say no to putting ink (or sharpie) on cards. Now I’m looking for better examples than what I currently have (really need to upgrade a few as well). On my spreadsheet for Brooks’ regular issue cards I have blue ballpoint, black ballpoint, blue sharpie and black sharpie (I really haven’t started the sharpie yet) to track what I have.

I am a tad weird though I’m not crazy about autographs on pictures since I feel it takes away from the shot itself. I have a few signed, but most of them of the common variety.