I think Raven hit the nail on the head with the irony of these kinds of auto cards: irreplaceable to the collector who actually gets them signed, and almost completely worthless to everyone else.

I'm not a devoted convention goer, but have been to more than a few and had loads of actors sign trading cards.

It all started with getting Kenny Baker to sign a Star Wars Galaxy Bend-Em promo card. For those unfamiliar, they featured character portraits of the main actors by renowned poster artist Joe Smith, with character photo and bios on the reverse. I found the price of pack inserted Star Wars auto cards ludicrous so figured I'd have a go at a more affordable route. I eventually got them all signed except Harrsion Ford, Frank Oz and James Earl Jones. Lots of other collectors have done the same with these (and the identical base cards), and because they came out in 1993, there are even a few floating about that Alec Guinness signed!

This then lead to doing similar for Star Trek actors, MANY actors from the Alien series, a couple of Bond actors and couple of Doctor Who's.

The experience of meeting actors you enjoy, having them sign cards you really liked the look of to create a unique item, and all done for sensible money, makes for a very appealing combination IMO.

Some of my 'unnoficial' autos I like more than 'official' equivalents, and funnily enough, Topps ended up releasing sticker auto versions of the Star Wars Galaxy character portraits in Galaxy 5!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: X,

Here is a nice batch.

quote:

Originally posted by Bill Mullins:
Here is a nice batch.

That's no TTM collection, that's Steve Grad.

Who else would have the opportunity to get professionally signed, multiple autographs from all those stars? And every card has been authenticated too. It's an awesome undertaking, but one that probably no other Star Wars card collector could have done. And now all someone needs is enough money to win the highest bid and he/she doesn't have to lift a finger.

That's another ironic part to being a card or autograph collector. Everyone wants to own an expensive collection, because money is the best standard of success in our society. However as it grows to actually be valuable, the only thing you can do to get that money is sell it to someone else who has done nothing to deserve it. There goes the collection.

I don't understand who named it "buyer's premium" either? It should be "middleman's cut and buyer's loss".

Will be interesting to see the final bid.

BGS charges a minimum of $20 a signature for authentication. Consider that many cards have multiple signatures, and that many star wars actors cost more than the minimum (Carrie Fisher, for example, is $75). You're probably looking at $10k worth of slabs.

(and is there any justification for charging more to authenticate a Carrie Fisher autograph than authenticating a Forest Whitaker autograph, other than that the market will bear it?)

So Raven, you're saying I shouldn't get David to sign his #30 Philly card he's sending me? Hmmm, he's not retired and he still seems to be a big deal in the non-sports card world so maybe his autograph is a bonus.

I'm thinking I might be able to get something good from one of the Steves or Bill if I decide to trade it down the road.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: catskilleagle,

Considering the connection, Grad may have gotten an employee discount.

https://www.beckett.com/news/b...ion-services-launch/

I really didn't know that certain autographs were on a scale, foolishly thought all authentication counted as the same. Degree of difficulty? Known counterfeits? Just higher price? Pick a number. Thanks for the info.

Yes, the unofficial/in-person autographed card becomes more of a souvenir than a collectible because it means something to you. I have a fossil whale vertebra that one of uncles found while hunting in the Panoche Hills sometime before I was born. He showed it to me when I was a kid after he heard that I had become interested in dinosaurs/fossils. After he passed away in 1995, my aunt brought it over to me. He had told her he wanted me to have it when the time came. The money value is maybe $10-15 (and I have other fossil whale vertebrae that I have found myself) but that one is priceless to me.

We're all collectors here. Some of us sell or trade but we have cards we would never sell or trade.

quote:

Originally posted by X:
I think Raven hit the nail on the head with the irony of these kinds of auto cards: irreplaceable to the collector who actually gets them signed, and almost completely worthless to everyone else.

I'm not a devoted convention goer, but have been to more than a few and had loads of actors sign trading cards.

It all started with getting Kenny Baker to sign a Star Wars Galaxy Bend-Em promo card. For those unfamiliar, they featured character portraits of the main actors by renowned poster artist Joe Smith, with character photo and bios on the reverse. I found the price of pack inserted Star Wars auto cards ludicrous so figured I'd have a go at a more affordable route. I eventually got them all signed except Harrsion Ford, Frank Oz and James Earl Jones. Lots of other collectors have done the same with these (and the identical base cards), and because they came out in 1993, there are even a few floating about that Alec Guinness signed!

This then lead to doing similar for Star Trek actors, MANY actors from the Alien series, a couple of Bond actors and couple of Doctor Who's.

The experience of meeting actors you enjoy, having them sign cards you really liked the look of to create a unique item, and all done for sensible money, makes for a very appealing combination IMO.

Some of my 'unnoficial' autos I like more than 'official' equivalents, and funnily enough, Topps ended up releasing sticker auto versions of the Star Wars Galaxy character portraits in Galaxy 5!

quote:

Originally posted by catskilleagle:
So Raven, you're saying I shouldn't get David to sign his #30 Philly card he's sending me? Hmmm, he's not retired and he still seems to be a big deal in the non-sports card world so maybe his autograph is a bonus.

I'm thinking I might be able to get something good from one of the Steves or Bill if I decide to trade it down the road.

Hey Jess,

Now I'm confused. I didn't say anything about your Philly card. Maybe you're thinking of wolfie's joke?

If it's your card and you want his signature and can get it, why not? Whenever I went to a signing back in the day, I always tried to take a card with me to get autographed, along with the 8X10s I bought there. I love in-person autograph cards, especially because you get to meet the people. I even would get the card and photos personalized to me. That stuff has no resale value at all and that's the idea. It's just mine.

X got the line right, "irreplaceable to the collector . . . and almost completely worthless to everyone else".

Yeah, it was just a general joke about these cards.

quote:

Originally posted by Bill Mullins:
Here is a nice batch.

No Stickers!!!! I'm out.

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:
If it's your card and you want his signature and can get it, why not? Whenever I went to a signing back in the day, I always tried to take a card with me to get autographed, along with the 8X10s I bought there. I love in-person autograph cards, especially because you get to meet the people. I even would get the card and photos personalized to me. That stuff has no resale value at all and that's the idea. It's just mine.

X got the line right, "irreplaceable to the collector . . . and almost completely worthless to everyone else".

I'm in a couple of facebook autograph groups and most collectors are VERY anti-personalisation as to not "de-value" their collection, for them, or their kids they reckon they will inherit. They'll likely not care...

I have a few 8x10s in my collection that are 'flat-signed' (without personalisation), but that is usually down to rules set by the convention organiser/the individual celebrity. E.g. The first two times I met Patrick Stewart, his autos were advertised strictly without personalisation (I subsequently found because he suffers with arthritis in his hands), so I then got all remaining TNG crew without personalisation in order to match.
When I met Brent Spiner, he asked if I wanted personalisation, told him why I didn't, and he said "Patrick personalises". Then when I met Stewart for a third time a few years later (after having already met all the TNG crew/having had them sign a TV AND movie uniform 8x10, each without personalisation), he signed another picture and kindly did a personalisation I requested!

Generally I much prefer personalisation, including on the reverse of some of my trading cards (with signatures done on the front). They are more personal and they're for me, not for the next collector.

quote:

Originally posted by X:
Generally I much prefer personalisation, including on the reverse of some of my trading cards (with signatures done on the front). They are more personal and they're for me, not for the next collector.

I think this was fine back when pricing was not based on potential resale value. When the cost of an autograph also got you a free photo with the celebrity. Today's à la carte system pushes many collectors to think carefully about what to get signed and how it should be structured. Most personalized 8x10's from the table are in the hole the second the fan walks away. Many of them stay there.

Not to mention that even though I am a collector at heart, if the time should come my heart is no longer in it or I HAD to sell I would hope I collected in a way to get the most value.

quote:

Originally posted by mykdude:

quote:

Originally posted by X:
Generally I much prefer personalisation, including on the reverse of some of my trading cards (with signatures done on the front). They are more personal and they're for me, not for the next collector.

I think this was fine back when pricing was not based on potential resale value. When the cost of an autograph also got you a free photo with the celebrity. Today's à la carte system pushes many collectors to think carefully about what to get signed and how it should be structured. Most personalized 8x10's from the table are in the hole the second the fan walks away. Many of them stay there.

Not to mention that even though I am a collector at heart, if the time should come my heart is no longer in it or I HAD to sell I would hope I collected in a way to get the most value.

This is both sides of the personalization debate and they are both equally true. You have to decide what sort of autograph collector you are.

And to be sure this is autograph collecting we are talking about here, not the manufactured, licensed and certified card, which conflates the issue by bringing in the value of the card itself.

Is the possibility of reselling that autograph, signed on whatever material you used, being considered or not? If it is, no personalization. If you know you will never care, or the person is honestly no big deal anyway, get your name all over it. That's what I always did.

Want a compromise? Get two pieces signed, one with and one without.

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:
Want a compromise? Get two pieces signed, one with and one without.

Haha! Due to a family side project I get sigs on personal photos in several collection books I had made at Walgreens which will never make a dime. Oddly I don't really consider this my collection.

Just curious, do you chase autographs even though you have an official signed card? I have at times but generally I don't.

quote:

Originally posted by mykdude:
Just curious, do you chase autographs even though you have an official signed card? I have at times but generally I don't.

Sadly I haven't been able to make a personal signing or show for a few years before COVID hit and that's going to be on hold for awhile. However in the past, if it were someone I wanted to meet in person, I would go and pick up a couple of pieces even though I had a certified card.

If you mean buying a signed 8x10 or some other signed item from someone else when I already had a certified autograph card, then probably not. Truth is I have a hard time trusting autographs of anyone in demand, even when they come with third party authentication. Since I have superb taste , the ones I would like are always rare and high priced. I'd rather throw my money into that licensed certified card to feel more confidant in the verification and also have a recognized collectible with a documented value.

Now if there is no certified card or there is one, but it's going for stupid money that I just refuse to spend, then I have gone after carefully selected autographs. For instance, I had acquired several photos and odd items at different times in the late 90s and early 2000s that were autographed by Sigourney Weaver. They are all genuine as far as I can tell, mostly nice full signatures, but this was prior to her doing her certified Alien card. When that card came out I wanted it, but just couldn't see the point of spending so much money for something I already had and that looked better.

Now would any of my Weaver stuff resell for as much as that card? Absolutely not, not even close. That card may also continue to increase in price, while my autographs might not break even with what I paid back when. It doesn't matter to me because I'm not looking to sell anything and how many times do I really need the same signature when there are so many more I don't have?