Originally Posted by BillyCoxDodgers3B
The argument then (and still) becomes: why doesn't he do it for less? If whatever his cut is from a minimum of $600 per autograph is so meaningless to him (I agree), why not cut that price down? Granted, it would still have to be high just for the sake of crowd control and his time, but how about a base price of $3-400? More people would jump on board, and if that money might be going to his charity, then more money stands a shot of being raised by the slight uptick in volume.
I don't think anyone has any reason to be "grateful" for his signing for money, regardless of the price. It's a business transaction, nothing more. "Oh, thank you, King Derek, for taking my money! I am not worthy!" Pfft.
Not to mention that most things signed at the base price don't really stand a shot of being great investments. If you want something to make money on, you're ponying up. Frankly, that is understandable and should be to anyone. Lowering the price of more pedestrian items such as balls, plaques, photos, and most cards would definitely make sense. Or, interested buyers are always free to simply pay less on the secondary market.
Some people might chime in with the rebuttal that the base price material does stand a chance at becoming a decent investment. If so, how long would we have to wait to see that happen? The popularity of Mantle never waned and all items have kept going up. Even so, certain lower-end pieces have often experienced longer periods of stagnation vs. nicer material. Outside of cream of the crop-type pieces, it feels like widespread Jetermania has really faded. With Jeter, the base price stuff, and even things such as certain RCs have really not fared that well over 20 years. If you want these items, they can still be had at pretty low prices relative to the $600 base price, and nearly all cards and most RCs for less than the four figures he charges now. Yes, due to the number of different card issues produced, if you have the desire for a certain card, some will pose a challenge to find, but is it worth $1100 to cross that name off your list, or will you wait and hope for something to pop up for $2-300 on the secondary market? And yes, in order to find the better prices, you may have to be confident enough in your knowledge and the source of the material in order to purchase some of the cards without authentication. It can be done, though.
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