With the sad news of both Russell Johnson (The Professor on Gilligan's Island) and Dave Madden (Reuban Kincaid on The Partridge Family) passing yesterday, was wondering if it had any effect on the values of their trading cards. I know there are autos of Russell Johnson out there (from Twilight Zone and Outer Limits). Also there was a Partridge Family set (not sure of any autos).

I remember when Steve Irwin (The Crocodile Hunter) was killed, his auto cards spiked in values

I would guess that when big time stars pass, it would have some effect, for for small / bit part actors / actresses, does their passing affect the values in any way?

There's typically an immediate spike in value, and then it settles usually somewhere between the first jump and where it was before.

Steve Irwin is still a high-dollar card because he died so young, and it's also his only certified autograph card.

Russell Johnson's always been pretty fan-friendly and he's signed for a number of sets beyond Twilight Zone and Outer Limits, so he's got a pretty good amount of autographs out there. What will be interesting is to see if he signed the cards for the Topps 75th redemptions before he passed.

I think it depends on who it is and how many autograph cards they signed. If they signed for a card set and then went on to bigger things so never signed again and then died those autographs would definatly go up big time as there would no longer be any doubt about there being more in the future.

The rule of thumb is pretty simply. If the autograph was in demand while the signer was alive, the price will take an even higher jump after he/she passes.

If the autograph was not in any special demand while the signer was alive, it may or may not take a slight jump immediately after he/she passes. However it will go right back down to the original price in a fairly short time.

Yes, you can talk about how many autographs are available, as that would now be a finite number, but supply is always secondary to demand. Death does tend to increase the demand among speculators for that brief period, but it really doesn't (or at least shouldn't) have that much affect on collectors.

I have Russell Johnson's Twilight Zone autograph card because I liked Gilligan Island. I was not a Partridge Family fan and I don't have Dave Madden's autograph. That's fine, I always say that if I didn't want to collect a person's signature while they were alive, there is no need for me to want it now that they are dead.

I have Russell Johnson's Twilight Zone autographs because I love Twilight Zone. The fact that he was on Gilligan's Island was a bonus! I liked it that it was revealed in the Brady Bunch movies of the 1990's that the Professor was actually the father of Brady Bunch girls and his going missing for the extended period was why Carol was able to marry Mike Brady who had three boys. (To think, that crew would somehow form a family!). That story element is pretty much canon since Sherwood Schwartz created both the "Brady Bunch" and "Gilligan's Island" and was also involved in those 90's Brady Bunch movies, which I loved.

As for "Partridge Family", Mr. Reuben Kincaid WAS that show. I always loved his voice, and he had a lot of the best lines.
Rest in Peace, Misters Johnson and Madden.

As for the original question of the post, I think the price spikes on autographs is much more volatile when it is a young person who dies, or else a currently popular/working actor. Also, if there is a perception that there aren't a lot of autographs out there from the person who has passed away, there is sometimes a run to get the ones that are out there. The John Ritter card from "Buffy" is a good example of that. It took a big jump on his sudden passing, and certainly some of that was the sad and sudden realization there would never be anymore from him.

Imagine if there had been a Heath Ledger Joker autograph card or a Paul Walker Fast and the Furious autograph card. The interest in those would've understandably gone sky high in the wakes of their tragic deaths, since those would have made amazing keepsakes for super fans, of which both men had many. A Ledger Joker card would've been extremely sought after even had he not died, given his legendary performance in "Dark Knight".

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Originally posted by chesspieceface:
As for the original question of the post, I think the price spikes on autographs is much more volatile when it is a young person who dies, or else a currently popular/working actor. Also, if there is a perception that there aren't a lot of autographs out there from the person who has passed away, there is sometimes a run to get the ones that are out there. The John Ritter card from "Buffy" is a good example of that. It took a big jump on his sudden passing, and certainly some of that was the sad and sudden realization there would never be anymore from him.

Imagine if there had been a Heath Ledger Joker autograph card or a Paul Walker Fast and the Furious autograph card. The interest in those would've understandably gone sky high in the wakes of their tragic deaths, since those would have made amazing keepsakes for super fans, of which both men had many. A Ledger Joker card would've been extremely sought after even had he not died, given his legendary performance in "Dark Knight".

Youth alone doesn't mean much. Limited supply alone doesn't mean much. Its simply demand, and there may be several factors involved that make up that demand.

Johnny Lewis and Lee Thomas Young both were young when they died, both under unfortunate circumstances. Their AVP and Smallville certified autograph cards are the only ones they will ever sign and they are common priced cards today, the same as they were common priced cards when they were alive. Five years from now most collectors will not realize that they are dead. They are just two examples of autographs that may have spiked a bit at the time, but returned to normal because the demand, or I should say lack of demand, never really changed.

John Ritter had the opposite effect. He was a well known and well liked actor with only one certified autograph card. His Buffy card was already in high demand when he died, so of course the price went up afterwards and it will stay up.

Quite a few athletes who signed in sport card sets since the late 90s had untimely deaths and for awhile there were ghouls who would go around and snap up the cards, looking for quick profits. Most of them were minor players or prospects and it wasn't long before they went back into the bargain bins, even though some were pretty limited in number.

So it all starts with the popularity and demand for the person's signature before all the other factors like age, supply, circumstances of death and so on come in.

I thought about those Smallville autographs when Lee Thompson Young died. One death was a suicide of an apparently very sad person (Thompson Young). The other one was possibly a suicide as well, but he also viciously killed a woman and her dog on his way out, however it happened. I'm not sure who would want that guy's autograph. Then again, OJ Simpson autographs still sell even though he's all but admitted doing what he was found liable for in a civil court.
Sad coincidence that two actors who died in their 20's ending up having auto cards in the same "Smallville" set.

I was only thinking on this subject yesterday with the news of Roger Lloyd Pack passing away. I have his Harry Potter card from GoF, although I mainly got it because I loved the other things he'd been in not just Harry Potter.
I wasn't really thinking of values so much as how sad it is that I have so many cards to actors no longer with us.
Eric Sykes and Richard Griffiths are two more Potter ones, although Eric reached a good age.
I have Glenn Quinn's and Andy Hallet's from Angel. And about three of Kevin Smith from Xena and Hercules, although I'll always treasure a personally signed photo from the latter, where he even addressed the envelope to me.

As others have said, there are a lot of factors as to whether a signed card by a 'late' actor becomes worth more money or not after the initial spike of interest. Such is the weird world of our hobby.

I'm still very sad about Andy Hallet.
We were lucky to meet him at the Inkworks booth at Comic-con the year Uncle Allen had karaoke set up. (I remember Allen singing "The Thong Song", essentially uncensored, and I was laughing long and hard after that).
Andy hosted that little event, and prizes were awarded those willing to sing, which my girlfriend was. (They were giving away cards as well, naturally, but she was given a Simpsons action figure, which was very welcome).
That was just one of the endlessly cool things Inkworks did for their collectors at Comic-Con.
Anyway, Andy was very nice to us and the others we heard talk to him. I'm sure he is greatly missed by those who knew and loved him.
33 years old is just way too (I want to use a descriptive two syllable curse word here, but will resist) young to die.

Andy's death was a great shock when I heard about it. All deaths are shocking, but I think Andy's was more so...it wasn't drugs or speeding in sports cars as a lot of premature celebrity deaths seem to be; it was illness, through no fault of his own. Extremely sad. Such a lovely guy and he played my favourite character on Angel. Anyway it's an autograph card I treasure, and whatever the monetary value of it is doesn't come into it. I'm keeping it.

I believe it depends of different factors, but the "treasure" bounty hunters are always present and ready to get everything from the market. Wait for items scarcity and then throw the high prices.

Also it will depends of the actress/actor and franchise popularity and continuity. I remember watch Gilligan's Island when I was a kid. But it never got my attention.

Russell Johnson's autograph redemption card from Topps 75th Anniversary will be fulfilled http://www.beckett.com/news/20...s-will-be-fulfilled/