I would like your opinion...
 

I know this is a matter of personal preference, but I want to get a little feedback from some members of the board. I am interested in collecting Cardinals team sets from my favorite sets like '53 Bowman Color for starters. In perusing what is out there in terms of Cardinals cards, I keep running across signed examples which in many cases are not all that much more expensive than unsigned cards, though the unsigned cards might be in a little better condition most of the time it seems. I didn't set out looking for signed cards of the Cardinals, just looking to build team sets, but I am finding the signed cards even of common players is grabbing my attention.
Which would you guys rather have, cards that might be a little nicer condition but unsigned or signed cards that are sometimes (but not always) in lesser condition?

I find signed items ugly and would pay less for a signed card than a unsigned one in most cases. Also it would take way too much time to figure out what signatures are real and what ones are not. JMHO

I see nothing wrong with signed cards at all, I just don't collect them myself. I say buy what ever makes you happy. Maybe a little bit of both? Purchase one signed card for each team set you put together?

Good luck & have fun!

Scott

My signature pretty much gives away my position on the issue, so I'll elaborate:
There's just something about knowing that the player held the card in their hand that makes signed cards special. That, and the rarity of certain signed cards as well; there are hundreds of thousands of 1956 Topps Harry Agganis cards, but probably fewer than 100 that exist signed.

As an aside, there are 23 Cardinals in the set I'm building, and the artwork on them is superb.

I'm guessing that unless one specifically collect signatures on cards, a signature can be a distraction to most, especially if it is only 1-2 cards in a larger set that are signed and the rest remain unsigned.

Personally, I have made that one of the few collecting interests that I still actively pursue. I can't get enough signed cards and mostly I am talking the cheaper, newer players (60s and newer), most who are not real tough and are still living. Sometimes I find that I have 5-6 copies or more of certain cards signed, either because I got them in lots or really just like that crd and keep finding bargains. The record may be 10-11 of the same card. I mix that in with an occasional older card that I can get for a nice price or an obscure name. I have always felt that a signed card is better than one that is not signed and from the standpoint of scarcity, most cards will ultimately be harder to find signed, even a Bobby Doerr or Bob Feller card!

However, if I were just building team sets, I think having a few signed cards mixed in would be a distraction to me and I would either want the entire set signed or replace those signed cards with unsigned copies eventually.

If they are grabbing your attention, and you like the looks of them, then collect 'em! Collect what you enjoy until you complete your sets or something else grabs you.

Not all signed cards are created equal, either. Some of them can have a perfectly placed, flowing signature that adds a lot of character to a card. The personal touch, as Scott mentioned, of knowing the player held the card is pretty cool, too.
I don't have many, but I like the look of a nice autograph on a piece of cardboard.

Collect what you like. :) I would take a signed card. They are more interesting.

Cardinals
 

Hard to go wrong collecting Cardinals cards no matter how you do it :)

I have never been an autograph guy. I have a few I got in person or that someone gave me, but mostly could never stand waiting in lines to get an autograph, and saw no sense in buying a card with writing on it even if it might be authentic...no connection to me.

I agree. Some of the common players can be the hardest signers. Try to find a Don Young signed Cubs card if you are putting together a 1969 Cubs set.

If you're into putting sets together from your favorite team I would think adding a signature from one of those players would be pretty cool. Getting an entire set from a particular year signed may prove very difficult but I would prefer an autographed card in slightly lower grade to an unsigned card.

As others have already said though, just collect what you like.

Thanks for the input, fellas. I don't think I would ever seek to complete every Cardinals team set in signed fashion...maybe a few here or there. Also, IMHO, some sets like '53 Bowman Color have such beautiful images that I wouldn't want a player's signature or anything else obscuring the image.

I do, however, see the point some of you have made about how cool it is to think the player held that card at some point. So, I might buy a few signed cards depending on the set I am working on. Like Al said, all Cardinals cards are good ones!

I think that signed cards are a distraction. Unless the signature has a meaning for me (maybe signed in front of me at a ball park), I think the signature detracts from the value. And I am always concerned about unauthentic signatures. I know waaaay too many people (including one dealer) who have confessed to practicing signatures and signing cards and selling them on E-Bay.

I love signed cards....as others have mentioned, I enjoy knowing that even for the briefest of moments that card was touched by the player.

I am working on a collection of the Perez-Steel Greatest moment pieces, signed. Many of the subjects in that series were long gone and it is annoying to see auto, auto, auto, auto, NO AUTO, auto....

Neurosis I guess.

This would be a concern of mine as well. Although certainly not fool proof, I would stick to PSA graded if buying signed cards.

I collect Cardinals as well and was really only looking for unsigned cards for my team sets. I did run across a few however that were too good to pass up, including a '52 Bowman Slaughter.

Auto/Non Auto
 

I personally like them both. I have a few autographed cards, but all of the cards are of Brooks Robinson (have other signed pieces, but not on cards). I don't really actively search for autographed cards, but if I see one I like I will pick it up. I do prefer them signed in pen and in an aesthetically pleasing placement. With Brooksie's signature sometimes it is hard to do unless it's an early one. On his particular cards the item is typically far less to purchase than the unsigned version.

I think either way is cool, but as many said collect what you like. I personally just collect for a hobby, so really not too interested in the resale value.

I feel much the same. It is a hobby for me plain and simple. A nice diversion after a tough day at work. ...