Why Autographs?
 

Since we all have varied backgrounds and, ultimately, could have picked any type of memorabilia to invest our time and money in, what directed you to autographs?

I loved baseball cards as a kid (growing up in the 80's) and still have an appreciation for them but there was just something about getting a player's autograph. Living fairly close to Cooperstown, has given me access to HOFers as a little boy up to now. I remember getting Spahn, Slaughter and Feller as a kid. I didn't really know them from any other old guy, but my brother insisted I meet them and get an auto.

My Dad, a huge baseball fan, was never really 'into' autographs but would love to tag along with me when I would get one. He took any opportunity to complain about pitch counts with Earl Weaver and Jim Palmer and tell Willie Mays that he was the best he ever saw. My Dad's gone now but those memories will certainly stick with me and will eventually be shared with my son.

The over saturation of the autograph show in the late 90's soured me a bit. I can remember seeing, for the first time, a tiered price structure based on what's being signed at a National (good ole Reggie). Something didn't feel right about spending big money to get autographs of guys that made a great living in baseball (unlike Slaughter, Feller and so on).

This made me look into getting vintage autographs. I love those GPC's and other fulfilled autograph requests from HOFers to their fans. There was no thought of investment value. It was just a way for a fan to get a piece of their favorite player.

Well, I went way on way longer than intended but I wanted to share.

Not only "a way for a fan to get a piece of their favorite player" . . .
 

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. . . but a way to connect with history.


I use to collect coins, and loved both the artistic value of the items, and especially the thrill of the hunt/elation from the success. But owning a rare Lincoln cent didn't bring me any closer to having personal contact with the man.

And when I switched to collecting vintage baseball cards, the same rang true.

But collecting autographs added another dimension; a sense of personal contact. The acceptance that an autograph and the medium it was signed on were handled by that particular individual. And as remote as that contact is, I do feel some sense of a personal contact with that individual. And with that contact, a better appreciation for the history of the gam. Maybe that is why some folks are drawn head-over-heel to the manufactured modern cards that contain a sliver of bat or uniform. To them, it's more than just a sportscard portraying Cobb or Ruth; it's actually a piece of something the man personally held or wore. And by holding that card, you were touching greatness. You were indirectly touching something that few people today enjoy; baseball greatness from decades past. Or in the case of the obscure ballplayer; that his name and the game he played lives on, even if only through my collection. For me, it was hearing about the death of Detroit Tigers pitcher Johnny Gorsica. For whatever reason, I was struck with the realization that everyday we were losing the ballplayers from the era of vintage baseball I love and cherish. And that some day, they would all be gone. And that sparked an interest in me to collect not only the living examples, but those who had played the game, and gone on to greener fields.


My apologies for rambling on. As I typed, I was grasping for the right words, to explain accurately how I feel. Not sure if I did that above, but the attempt was honest.

I was always torn about how cards shows became 'autograph' shows. For the most part the players only got an appearance fee. The promoter set the prices, including some requiring only items that were sold by the promoter got signed. I used to get mad when I'd hear people complain that Willie Stargell, Dick Allen, or Warren Spahn were "gouging" for their autograph. A lot of times the player didn't even know what was being charged. I'll never forget Lenny Dykstra asking me how much his autograph cost. When I told him it was free he said "Dude, that is still too much!". At another show Warren Spahn sat there for two hours, MAYBE signing 50 items. He told me he was paid $1500 plus expenses. The show was charging $20 per item. I couldn't tell you how many people walked away because of the cost. He seemed genuinely bummed.

I never paid for an autograph at a show. To me the value was in the interaction, or the history. Value isn't set by the promoter. To this day, I purchase autographs, not for a collection, but for the experience. Two recent pickups went to very happy and deserving homes. To people who appreciate the history and the human behind the piece. My enjoyment comes from the research, almost reliving the times, and getting it into the hands of someone whose enjoyment transcends the monetary value.

The autographs that have passed through my hands through the years will always be mine. My collection is in my head, my heart, and my hard drive.

I collect signed pre-war cards because of the elusive nature of trying to establish a link with these players. T206 cards, in particular for me, acquire a special vitality when they capture a player’s signature on his card – more so than signed baseball cards from even as early as the 1930s. A signed T206 card brings the holder back in time, not only to when the player took the field, but also to when he held that card and signed his name, giving the card that incomparable personal touch.

I actually collected cards when I was a kid, starting with 87 Topps. Loved collecting baseball cards, but lost interest in the mid-90's when the player strike diminished my love for it and then ultimately it died for me when Don Mattingly retired.

I started collecting autographs as a young boy that attended the annual Ohio State football appreciation banquest and would go from player to player asking them to sign the souvenir placemat you get.

Pretty soon that led me to writing baseball players TTM and that was it! I was hooked! The feeling I still get today when I get a return through the mail is such an awesome feeling. I'm a kid in a candy store, can't wait to check the mail every day!

....................

I always loved collecting cards growing up in the 70's and 80's. It was something that I could share with my friends and kept me occupied for long periods of time. I could play with them, look at the stats, gtrade them...but autographs were more special.

I remember being in the hospital when I was a kid and having Phil Rizzuto send me his autograph at the hospital. I cherished that. I remember sending autograph requests through the mail and how thrilled I was getting some of them back.

These days it is the thrill of owning something that someone who played major league baseball took the time to write. It is somewhat personal in that sense. The fact that many of these gentlemen have passed away gives me a feeling of kind of perpetuating their legacy...keeping their careers alive in someone's mind.

And on a personal note, now that I have decided to focus my personal collection to Pittsburgh Pirates who started after 1900, the thrill of the hunt will, I'm sure, take me on every bit as much of a roller coaster ride as would any card set or card project.

Tom C

This is a really pleasant thread to read and contemplate. Thanks to the op and everyone who has posted.

My story is similar to many here. I started collecting cards in the 80s and going to shows with my dad. That lead to IP autos and my father's stories about his childhood interaction with the game. He wanted to meet the players and so did I, and the auto itself was in some ways secondary. Getting an auto always has a story behind a story behind a story, and that has captured my imagination ever since. I like contracts and official letters because they have built-in authenticity and are connected to the game itself, but a GPC has something that can't be defined. Somebody desired and requested, and that was me as a kid. I can look at my autos all day and wonder about the situation and parties involved.

JimStinson
 

I don't think it is a matter of choice, I was born with the autograph collecting "gene" :)
Wish I had been born with the bottle cap or butterfly collecting gene instead. Alot less expensive

I don't know but I would imagine those hobbies can and do get very expensive at some level of obsession.

I enjoy owning something that was touched by a person whom I admire or whose work I admire and who inspire me. I do not limit myself to sports. I have signed pieces from actors, musicians, comedians, astronauts, war heroes and so on. One of my favorite pieces is a signed copy of the Guggenheim's lifetime show catalog for Roy Lichtenstein that I picked up at the museum in NYC. I was there looking in the gift shop about 2 years after the retrospective, saw the catalog for sale unsigned, and asked a clerk if they happened to have a signed one because I knew Lichtenstein had signed some of them. They did and sold it to me for the same price as the unsigned book. Weighs about ten pounds and is the size of a cafeteria tray so it made for an interesting carry-on time at the airport.

What I find interesting is that the main reason people collect autographs is the personal effect at having something handled by the player. Yet nobody wants an item that is severely faded or overwritten.

I've got a brother who collects dog "tags" (licenses/registration tags), and from him I hear that it's not unusual to see late 19th century tags sell for several hundreds of dollars apiece. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that some of the earliest Coca-Cola bottle caps in above average condition bring surprisingly high dollars.

This does seem a bit of a contradiction, but the main reason does not totally override the aesthetics of an item.

My son took a huge interest in baseball from a very early age. I thought baseball cards would be a neat way for us to enjoy a hobby together and to expand his knowledge of baseball.
I subscribed to Baseball Hobby News and they had a list in every issue of addresses of old time baseball players. Seemed that writing to them and asking for their autograph would be a fun thing to do also.
We got to the point where we were keeping charts to see who was the fastest and who was the slowest signer. Most everyone we wrote to would sign for us, even Joe D. and Ted Williams.
Well, one thing led to another, we gave up the cards (though I had spent a hundred bucks for a Nr Mint 1975 Topps set :) ) and started to concentrate on autographs.
Now my son has made his love of baseball (and all major sports) into a career and he collects autographs of sports writers and broadcasters as well as Mets stuff. He was thrilled when he bought a Mets jersey of Doug Simons on ebay.
I think if you can collect anything with your children it makes the whole venture that much more fun. We loved running to the mailbox to see who would write back to us. There is just something about an autograph that a baseball card cannot match.

Why collect autographs?
 

Great thread!!

As a younger fan/collector I would always collect the autographs of baseball players and golfers that I especially liked. With key focus players (Nolan Ryan being one) I was an admitted "stalker", getting his autograph over 100 times in person during the 1970's. That being said, I don't recall ever selling the autograph of anyone that I ever asked for a sig.

For over 11 years I worked in the restaurant business in Southern California, spending the majority of time over the last 8 years in high end food service and as a wine captain. As such, I had a tremendous opportunity to meet and take care of quite a few celebrities including major sports stars, politicians, high-ranking military, actors, comedians, etc. At times, under these circumstances, I would ask for an autograph, as long as it didn't seem too awkward.

I've certainly always enjoyed the opportunity to meet some of these people, as I've always been curious about what people are like in person. I've always viewed the autograph as a momento of this whole process. Not mission critical at this point in my life.

Some of you know that I collect the autographs of all pitchers that have thrown no-hitters and perfect games dating back to 1893 (first year that the mound distance became the 60' 6" standard). Obviously, many of these players were so early that I never had a chance to meet the great majority of them.

The amount of time which this project spans has provided a tremendous challenge as many of these 280+ players died long before autograph collecting became popular. Being a completionist collector is an obsession, for sure. This is one project that I most likely will never finish, but it's going to be a heck of a lot of fun trying!

Vincent Hecksel (HexsHeroes) eloquently mentioned in an earlier post on this thread, the autograph provides a link to baseball history and a sense of personal contact knowing that the player once touched the piece of paper.
I very much agree with this statement. Well said, Vincent! ;)

Autographs are simple, they're small, they can last a couple hundred years, each one is unique, they can be beautiful, and every one represents a single moment in the signer's life. It truly is captured history, and each one is personal, by it being an autograph.

My mom was pregnant with my youngest sister in the spring of 1971, and her OB/GYN appointments were in sync with those of Marty Pattin's wife.

I was 8, and she returned from a doctor appointment with a McCarthy postcard signed to me from Marty Pattin, and I thought it was the coolest thing in the world.

When I went to those early Brewers games, there were 6000-25000 people in the stands and I was sure I was one of the only ones whose mom knew Marty Pattin's wife!

So now I'm 50, and am reminiscing about something that happened when I was 8. It was a powerful enough event for me, and I think part of it for me is to recapture some of that, or when I buy vintage pieces, to recognize how much of a big deal it probably was to the collector in his day.

Amateur psychology aside, a beautiful signature, matted with a fine photograph of the signer looks tremendous on the wall.

i like to collect boxing autographs because it's just fun. its fun to see all the different circumstances in which someone signed. a letter, a postcard, something signed on the day of a big fight. lots of different circumstances compared to a card, which is the same.

I think like most, I started collecting cards.

My mom took me to Disneyland, I think when I was about 10 or 11 and we stayed at the Grand Hotel in Anaheim. One day returning from the park I noticed there was a small group of people, mostly teens, and two old men standing around the entrance. A guy in a suit came out and they all went over to get his autograph.

Curious, when I saw them later I asked one of the teens what they were doing. This might have been one of the most fortuitous moments of my life as that young man was Richard Masson, who would later become one of my first autograph "friends" and mentors. He gave me some 3x5s and a pen and I hung out with them and got a few of the Detroit Tigers, most of whom I had to ask. I do recall recognizing Norm Cash and Mickey Lolich. But nowhere in sight was my favorite non-A's player, Al Kaline.

One of the old guys was Max Schrager, who was one of the few autograph "dealers" around at the time. I got to know Max a little too, but just as a buyer.

To a baseball crazy kid, this was like heaven. You could actually meet the players up close. Some would even talk baseball.

When we got back home, I tried to figure out where the visiting players stayed in Oakland. This turned out to be relatively easy, as there was an Edgewater Inn van parked in the players parking lot.

So from there I advanced to TTM autographs once I found out about the Jack Smalling address book. It was great to get autographs, pictures and letters from those old-time players.

So, instead of cars and girls I ended up spending the bulk of my teen years hanging out at the Edgewater and the Coliseum.

I think for me the personal connection was part of the appeal, but what really got me was the handwriting styles, especially once I got Charlie Gehringer's autograph. I mean a work of art!

I still like looking at old handwriting, even faded and tattered ;)

Deleted. Duplicate Post.

+1 well said, these two are not in good shape, one damaged one significantly faded, but I don't care. It's a Foxx and Gehrig auto on a card! They actually held these items, that's so awesome.

+1000 The exact reason why 3x5's are still my preference. :)

If I am going to own something I would like to enjoy the way it looks. It also makes resale a heck of a lot easier if it doesn't look like trash.