I have been collecting autograph cards for a few months and I sometimes wonder if I have joined the hobby at the wrong time. The prices that some cards are being sold for are astronomical and the market seem to be driven by investors and not by collectors.

Most of the cards in my collection are of actors that I remember growing up with on TV and all have been purchased for under $50. My favourite card currently is Henry Darrow ($30). Although depicted as Kalopak in Star Trek Voyager, I will always remember him as Manolito in the High Chaparral.

With signature's of some actors being offered for over $1000, what is your favourite autograph card under $50.

My fave autograph card that i purchased for less than $50 is the LOTR Peter Jackson Return of the King Update as it did not cost me anything, i got it for free.

Don't get discouraged. Sure autograph cards for the A-List names are very high now, but they were always high even back in their time, its just gotten more so because the money has reached foolish levels. Buying big celebrities on short printed certified cards always hurt, you just have to set a ceiling for yourself and realize that any card higher than that isn't worth it to you. If it is to someone else, good for them.

So there are literally hundreds of certified autograph cards that you find on any given day that are under $50 and dozens will be worth buying, depending on the collector's interest. I picked up one of my favorites, Veronica Cartwright in the newest X-Files, just the other day for under $20.

Many of those autographs that are considered common in one set are people that you may recognize for other roles in other titles. Assuming that its the autograph you really want, which is the case with me, you will get them much cheaper if you are not hung up on one character in one title. Go for the secondary card or the off brand title. Look in Pop Century and Americana checklists for autographs you want. Accept the stickers and take the unnumbered card over the same thing with a number. Look for the best looking autograph the person gives, rather than a better card, but a poorer signature.

Save money by buying targeted autographs. Its tempting to buy boxes to take a chance on pulling big cards, but the high price of boxes is making that too risky unless you are collecting the title itself.

I could go on and on with examples of a bunch of great actors with certified autograph cards still under $50, but I won't because my favorites may not be yours. I will say that to me, no autograph card of a living person is worth more than $250. That's my ceiling for everybody. There was a time when $100 would throw me off, but that had to adjust.

Hey Brian-

I created this thread and was updating for a while, but was tired of all of my suggestions getting crapped on by Raven so I stopped updating -- still some good options listed in my opinion:

http://nonsportupdate.infopop....4605353/m/8897068596

quote:

Originally posted by webjon:
Hey Brian-

I created this thread and was updating for a while, but was tired of all of my suggestions getting crapped on by Raven so I stopped updating -- still some good options listed in my opinion:

http://nonsportupdate.infopop....4605353/m/8897068596

Whoo, what the heck was that!

Look at that thread. I have NEVER questioned anyone's suggestion of a good card. Not yours, not nobody's. I haven't even been responding to your posts lately and you can bet I will NEVER respond to you again. That was totally uncalled for and I'm sorry you are having a bad day. The end.

Oh my!

I looked at the thread and commented on it. You said you were surprised at the going-rates for some autographs and Raven offered explanations. I didn't notice any biting commentary on your taste in or knowledge of cards. Frankly, I was surprised at your choice of words.

Jess

quote:

Originally posted by webjon:
Hey Brian-

I created this thread and was updating for a while, but was tired of all of my suggestions getting crapped on by Raven so I stopped updating -- still some good options listed in my opinion:

http://nonsportupdate.infopop....4605353/m/8897068596

I read them and Raven complained about his choices, fair enough but have some backbone if you are going to make those kind of statements. Stand behind what you say.

Hope this helps but going over some of my 2021 purchases, all of these fell under the $50 threshold. Still a ton of great affordable stuff out there.

Mickey Rourk
Vanilla Ice
Lou Ferrigno
Chrisma Carpenter
Sharon Osbourne
Tim Blake Nelson
Gina Gershon
James Callis
French Stewart
Chazz Palminteri
Ian McKellen

I have been working on the Supporting casts of Gilmore Girls and Scrubs and found most of them in 10 to 20 dollar range. I gave up on picking favorites, so many I love.

I would pay much more for a Lauren Graham, not going to lie!

quote:

Originally posted by barobehere:
I would pay much more for a Lauren Graham, not going to lie!

You and me both!

Speaking of Scrubs I recently picked up Sarah Chalke from Rick and Morty for a reasonable price.

I paid less than 50 bucks for the Nimoy autograph here. I was at a card show and saw it at a dealer's table, along with a LOST IN SPACE autograph that was out at the same time, also a hard to get card (which one I can't remember). No prices listed. I asked what she wanted for both of them and almost fell over when she told me the price. I said, "Do you know they are worth a LOT more than that?" and she said she didn't believe in charging super high prices for cards she personally pulled. I walked away with both of them for less than a hundred dollars:

Well done!

Prices have crept up in the years since I got them but all 'cheaper' favourites of mine:

Jane Seymour Women of Bond
Sean Bean Bond Full-Bleed
Lea Seydoux Bond Full-Bleed... £25/$36 each
Sophie Marceau Women of Bond £30/$43
Robert Carlyle Full-Bleed £14/$20
Bill Paxton - Alien Anthology £19/$27
Yaphet Kotto - UD Alien £5/$7
Sean Bean - LOTR FOTR £30/$43
Dan Castellaneta - Simpsons 10th Anniversary $17/$25

Plenty of others, too many to list, and still plenty of bargains out there. Got a Ronny Cox TNG auto the other week for £6.50/$9 just because he was great in Robocop & Total Recall!

Wow, Yaphet Kotto for just $9 - an actor from "Alien" and a James Bond movie?

Yeah, Ronny Cox has been a good, all-around actor. I remember him in "Harper Valley P.T.A" and Gray Lady Down" as well as "Total Recall" and the "Beverly Hills Cop" movies.

quote:

Originally posted by X:
Prices have crept up in the years since I got them but all 'cheaper' favourites of mine:

Jane Seymour Women of Bond
Sean Bean Bond Full-Bleed
Lea Seydoux Bond Full-Bleed... £25/$36 each
Sophie Marceau Women of Bond £30/$43
Robert Carlyle Full-Bleed £14/$20
Bill Paxton - Alien Anthology £19/$27
Yaphet Kotto - UD Alien £5/$7
Sean Bean - LOTR FOTR £30/$43
Dan Castellaneta - Simpsons 10th Anniversary $17/$25

Plenty of others, too many to list, and still plenty of bargains out there. Got a Ronny Cox TNG auto the other week for £6.50/$9 just because he was great in Robocop & Total Recall!

quote:

Originally posted by catskilleagle:
Wow, Yaphet Kotto for just $9 - an actor from "Alien" and a James Bond movie?

[/QUOTE]

That one is a sale that would get thrown out by a price guide as being too low for a normal range. Kotto shouldn't be traded at the cost of a common signer in any "titled" Alien or Bond product. However it was a UD sticker autograph card and I wouldn't be surprised if someone didn't get it in ePacks and just dumped it. Same thing with Bill Paxton, never at $27.

But to try to explain those Bond signers of Seymour, Bean, Seydoux at $36 and Marceau for $43? Man, I don't care what year that was, I wish I knew that seller!

Not sure if this was on the UK market or not, but over the years I have often noticed lower pricing on a lot of the better signed cards trading from UK sellers, as compared to what US sellers wanted for the same ones. I don't know if its because they think the UK market is smaller with less demand or if US buyers would rather stay domestic, both are probably true, but at times I have seen much better values from international sellers, while I have not taken advantage if it.

I got the Bean LOTR:FOTR for £30 too. I think that one was a UK exclusive. I pre-ordered mine from Cards Inc iirc, rather than pack-pulled.

When I've sold cards, the higher prices(silly money) normally get bid from the US. Not sure of the exact reason, unless the US has more fools and their money being easily parted... *assumes crash position*

Seriously, it's probably due to the larger market so more competition from bidders and even a larger awareness of the hobby too. I don't know anyone local to me who's into cards or even knows about them.
Panini football stickers were another thing, those they know about from the 70s and 80s.

quote:

Originally posted by Hedgehog Witch:
When I've sold cards, the higher prices(silly money) normally get bid from the US. Not sure of the exact reason, unless the US has more fools and their money being easily parted... *assumes crash position*

I have nothing to say.

I had a very clever remark typed up and ready to reply, but I don't want to get banned from the site.

OR....only the US buyers know a card's true worth.
How's that for some back peddalling?

Laughs aside, I do think it's down to a larger market, though. And knowledge.
If I kicked the bucket tomorrow, I'm not sure any of my friends or family would really understand the true value of my master sets of GoT S1 and S2. They'd probably give them to charity and be concerned the charity might not actually want that stuff. The people in the local charity shops wouldn't have a clue either. Kind of scary!