White whale Henry Aaron signature
 

Been looking for years for a Rookie year Henry Aaron signature. Finally was able to purchase one and couldnt be happier

http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...psrsom6wos.jpg

Very nice! Did he only sign that way for a specific period of time? Congrats!

Thanks buddy! Ya this particular style according to the psa examples was from 53-55. But the way this one is signed it matches the 1954 style

http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...pstey0huro.jpg

http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps2lja02to.jpg

His 53 and 54 signature

Aaron rookie sig
 

is this the same one that was just reliated on eBay?

I haven't seen a rookie era Aarron ap in quite sometime... To have two appear weeks apart is pretty amazing

I assume Joey returned it, as this was the original seller...

Yes i did...me and the seller discussed it before i bought it did some more research and it was listed as a 1954 auto but after looking at other examples theres no way of really knowing. I liked it alot but was not worth the risk

If PSA could label it as a 1954 Auto I would buy it back in a heartbeat

Interesting...

Funny that that seller has pinpointed all of those signatures to their rookie year without any supporting documentation. They do all look early but no way to know if they're actually from their rookie years.

Rookie ap's
 

The Mickey, Joe D, and Williams all resemble other rookie exemplars I have seen... The Aaron shows characteristics of the contracts dated 53-54 on Psa's site... I can't speak on behalf of the Clemente, f Robby, or killebrew...

The Williams is stunning, but seems overpriced at 2k

What kind of premium would you guys place on rookie era signatures in comparison to a mint later in life autograph? I know a lot of that has to do with how much someone is willing to pay, but is there some sort of premium that is usually realized just because it's a signature from the players rookie year?

To me it doesn't matter when exactly a playing days signature was signed. I guess maybe if the date factored in, like say a GPC dated the same date as the player's first hit or something. Otherwise I'd pay the same price whether it was the player's first year or last year as a player.

It's tough to put an exact figure on it, but I relate the premium to the scarcity of the variant... My guess is that there are 3-500 regular mantle signatures for ever circa 1951 exemplar (very different), so I don't think that paying 3-5 times is unreasonable... I had been looking for a Williams rookie signature for ages. An ap came to market that could be attributed to spring training of 1938... I had absolutely no problem paying $450 for it...

The story behind the autographs is pretty cool. The person who got them had a scrapbook full of them and would obtain them all in person. Do you think PSA would re-label some of these as rookie signatures if requested and found to be true?

Based on what?

I absolutely see a premium for rookie era signatures. It's a niche market but the supply is very low.

Based on their examples

I'm doubtful they would do that. I actually hope they wouldn't.

but stupidity is so high it evens out...

A 1954 signed GPC that was just signed hank aaron sold for 1k over a year ago. If this is in fact a rookie signature i think its worth it. You rarely see any "Henry Aaron" signatures and the fact that it was most likely signed when he was a rookie makes it even more scarce and desirable

I think it's a personal choice. I think an item signed around the time it was made certainly has more desirability thank the same item signed later. I don't think there is a set mark up per se.
My personal experience with 1934 goudeys is that I prefer period signed cards, but wouldn't pay more for say a Gehrig signed in 1934 vs 1936 vs 1939. I would pay more for a card signed in the 30s-50s in fountain pen vs one signed in the 1980s in sharpie. How much more? Depending on the card, maybe 30% more, but not much more.

Rookie Era
 

I'm sure it would depend on the player, but in my experience there definitely is a premium for rookie and/or early signatures. I think the pricing would also depend on the item the autograph is on, i.e. ball, picture, postcard, index card, etc. as well as the condition.

I mainly collect Brooks Robinson and his very early signatures are pretty tough to come by. Anyone ever see a Brooks Robinson early signature on the SS of a ball?

for me a signature is a signature. most of the time i prefer the more matured "classic" of the athlete than the archaic looking early sigs...like williams, aaron, mantle etc. i am sure that kind of thinking is the opposite of the norm, but hey i want that and it's cheaper so win/win for me.

collecting modern graphs if i can make out a couple letters from their names instead of the usual squiggly lines i'm happy.