Why autographs?

[sbfinley]

So recently I finished a collecting goal (Non-Sport related) and was looking for a new project to start up. I turn 30 this year and settled on two long term projects that I hoped to complete in the next ten years. The first goal I made was a list of 250 cards in all sports than I don't own, but an example could be found and would be relatively affordable. There are some $50 cards on the list. There are some $2k cards on the list. I'm comfortable with that goal.

For a secondary goal I decided to make a run at single signed examples (balls and cuts primarily) of all attainable baseball HOF's. I removed guys that I knew would be impossible Joss, Delehanty, Josh Gibson, etc.

So I got to work looking for a good piece/pieces to start with - maybe a Wagner cut or a run of Mantle-Dimaggio-Williams-and Mays SSB's. I couldn't settle on any Auto I found because I kept questioning it over and over. With most cards sets I can tell authenticity from a good clear scan or if possible just holding the card in my hand. With auto's I haven't a clue. Here are my problems with autos.

1. I'm lost.

I read and hear you guys talk about flow and pressure, but when comes to applying those principles it is akin to reading a foreign language.

I know in my head what the majority of top autos should look like and I can easily tell the obvious fakes, but the good fakes might as well be just that - good - because I lack the ability to discern them from legitimate examples. Even further, many times someone will post an example here for an opinion of an auto that looks quite good to me, but is outed by the experts as a horrible forgery.

2. No trust in TPG - Or anyone for that matter.

I don't really have to give examples, just read this board. There are occasions where I see SGC or PSA slab a bad card, but lord you guys out a bad authenticated auto every time you exhale. Additionally, even the so-called experts here seem to disagree about authenticity on a regular basis. If I can't trust myself, who do I trust.

3. I feel like I'm dealing drugs.

It seems that if collectibles were a society, autographs would be the population doing business in a dark alley. No one trusts anyone, the majority of the goods are bad, fighting it is losing battle. I feel like I need a Chechnyan henchman to test the goods before I make a purchase.

4. Your knowledge is like some mythical secret.

From the outside it appears like you guys act like the Skull and Bones Society sometimes. I have no doubt that some people on this board are very knowledgeable about autographs, likely the best in the world, but you often hoard that knowledge. I understand the fear of educating the forgers, but the intricacies of studying signatures almost never appear in print and those who come looking for help often only receive no more than "Its Good" or "Its bad." I remember sending an email to someone I considered an auto expert a few years ago asking about what to look for in Mantle signatures. His reply? "How many 8x10's do you have at your desk?"

5. If 90% of the market is bad, what is the point?

Self-explanatory.

So for all of the autograph collectors on the board, justify my desire to enter this sector of the hobby. Why should I collect autographs?