I remember similar situations, Jim, when I used to set up at local shows in the early 1990s here in L.A. I'd eke out my table fee and a profit in vintage cards while yahoos would buy 100-count bricks of modern rookies. The key then, as in any pyramid scheme, was to get out before the whole thing cratered. The guys who were in and out for the quick profits did fine; the people who thought they were investing got killed.
If I want a signed item from a current signer I am probably going to go with a company-certified autographed insert card. You can get them surprisingly cheaply, esp. for the "average" HOFers, and have an item that looks good and isn't worrisome from an authenticity standpoint [I had them put into the SGC holders because I like how they look].
I don't by any means intend to criticize anyone who thinks it is worthwhile to pay for meeting a celebrity; if I came off that way I apologize. I just feel that for me, personally, it isn't worth it. That said, if I manage to get to the National next year and if there is a certain boxer/actor there again, as he has been for two years now, I will probably pony up the dough and have him sign an item for me that I think would make a great display, esepcially if his bankrupt opponent hits the signing circuit to raise some income and I can get him too:
