Autographs as an investment

[Mr. Zipper]

I don't consider my collectibles as an "investment" either. But, when I spend money on something, it would be nice to get something back out of it down the line when it's time to sell.

With this in mind, for someone starting I would advise on avoiding mass-produced material as much as possible. By that I mean single signed balls of common signers, common signed flats, etc. Go for items that are less common. If you really want a signed item from someone who is in plentiful supply, get one with a less common inscription.

If I could tell go back in time and tell myself something 20 years ago, it would be, "one $200 item is way better than ten $20 items."

[RichardSimon]

+++ for all of the above comments.

[travrosty]

especially avoid speculation, buying 100 bryce harper signed baseballs now when he is hot. then next year he breaks his leg and is out of the big leagues forever, then you are done. at the minimum, buy nice, problem free, signed balls and photos of hof players like mantle, ruth, etc. established popular hof players who are deceased. because they cant sign any more legitimately and they are dead and their career totals wont change. speculation just kills the investor.

regfrigerator perry error cards were hot at 100 dollars apiece because they were a short print, proset football card. they later plummeted to the common bin for a dollar. jerome walton upper deck rookie cards were hot at over 20 dollars after his rookie season in which he went on a hitting streak. then we never heard any more from him and his cards are worth nothing now.

[dgo71]

Rule #1 of collecting is collect what you enjoy because then it doesn't matter if it ever becomes "worth" something or not.

That said, I think autographs tend to hold their value than cards, with the exception of the old pre-war cards that are very rare and hard to find in good condition. Old cards have value because people didn't save them, didn't slab them in two-inch plastic, etc. They got put in bike spokes, thrown against the wall in games of War, clipped, thumb-tacked and eventually thrown away by mothers whose sons had gone off to college. In the 80s/90s, everyone and their mother was hoarding cards thinking they'd be a suitable replacement for a 401K account. That stuff was massively over-produced and everyone has it.

IMO autographs hold their value much better, though the return on investment might be slow for common signers. Deceased HOFers like Mize, Slaughter, Feller, Kell, etc. still can be had for next to nothing because they signed everything in sight. But even the $20 autos from 1990 are now approaching the $100 range in most instances. As more collectors enter the hobby, there will be fewer and fewer autographs on the secondary market, and eventually I think most have nowhere to go but up in value.

But always refer to rule #1!

[JimStinson]

Originally Posted by dgo71

Rule #1 of collecting is collect what you enjoy because then it doesn't matter if it ever becomes "worth" something or not.

That said, I think autographs tend to hold their value than cards, with the exception of the old pre-war cards that are very rare and hard to find in good condition. Old cards have value because people didn't save them, didn't slab them in two-inch plastic, etc. They got put in bike spokes, thrown against the wall in games of War, clipped, thumb-tacked and eventually thrown away by mothers whose sons had gone off to college. In the 80s/90s, everyone and their mother was hoarding cards thinking they'd be a suitable replacement for a 401K account. That stuff was massively over-produced and everyone has it.

IMO autographs hold their value much better, though the return on investment might be slow for common signers. Deceased HOFers like Mize, Slaughter, Feller, Kell, etc. still can be had for next to nothing because they signed everything in sight. But even the $20 autos from 1990 are now approaching the $100 range in most instances. As more collectors enter the hobby, there will be fewer and fewer autographs on the secondary market, and eventually I think most have nowhere to go but up in value.

But always refer to rule #1!

I agree as a dealer for 30 plus years have always seen nothing but UP..Which is nice BUT...for investments contact a broker, accountant or investment consular. I was always told in the begining to buy the BEST you could afford ...and those items have so far skyrocketed. Will it continue ? who knows ...in five years your entire collection could be worth a cup of coffee and a loaf of bread (see CNN..smile), Collect what you like , autographs are not "investments" , its a hobby although some will tell you otherwise. History has proven that autographs overall have increased in value .....even over 100 years ..see George Washington, Abraham Lincoln etc., However I was told once that REAL ESTATE could NEVER go down because they have stopped making it which was eventually proven false. My "take" on this and it is strickly a guess is that the "crossover" autographs ....in other words the autographs that would be of interest to NON sports collectors ...for example BABE RUTH , JACKIE ROBINSON, will hold up in value no matter what , ...and cool to speculate on future Hall of famers who's value skyrocket after induction. But by gosh don't stake your future and that of your family on autographs.
____________________
jim@stinsonsports.com

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by JimStinson

However I was told once that REAL ESTATE could NEVER go down because they have stopped making it which was eventually proven false.

I was told the same thing for single-signed balls by deceased players, but they started making most of those again also.

[Deertick]

Originally Posted by Runscott

I was told the same thing for single-signed balls by deceased players, but they started making most of those again also.