The Great American Pursuit: A Study of Athlete Signing Fees 1970s-present

[Exhibitman]

$25 for Aaron? Wow, I guess I forgot. My recollection was that Aaron's plane was delayed by weather and that he was cordial and courteous to the collectors when he finally arrived.

I recall a show in L.A. near the airport where the admission got you a random free signature from Jim Brown, Sandy Koufax or Muhammad Ali. I also recall another show down there where Ali was a free signing guest. That would have been around 1987. I also recall paying $12 for a Koufax in 1988 at a show. I know it was then because I got it for a co-worker at a summer job I had. Koufax signed my colleague's 1966 Topps card. I did not want anything signed but I did ask if I could shake hands with him and Koufax obliged. I guess that would cost me an extra $80 today...

In the summer of 1988 or 1989 I went to a show in S.F. at the Moscone Center and paid $6-$8 for Brock and Gibson, and $12 for Musial.

During the early 1990s I picked up signatures of Luke Appling, Billy Herman, Rick Ferrell, Lou Boudreau for well under $10 each at various shows. I think Boudreau was a freebie at a small show.

Connors I remember was a cheap signature at some show I attended in L.A. and I got one for some cousins who were big Hollywood autograph collectors. As I recall he was a really fun, 'big' personality. Again, did not get anything for myself. Many years later I overpaid for a signed exhibit card.

[mr2686]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

$25 for Aaron? Wow, I guess I forgot. My recollection was that Aaron's plane was delayed by weather and that he was cordial and courteous to the collectors when he finally arrived.

I recall a show in L.A. near the airport where the admission got you a random free signature from Jim Brown, Sandy Koufax or Muhammad Ali. I also recall another show down there where Ali was a free signing guest. That would have been around 1987. I also recall paying $12 for a Koufax in 1988 at a show. I know it was then because I got it for a co-worker at a summer job I had. Koufax signed my colleague's 1966 Topps card. I did not want anything signed but I did ask if I could shake hands with him and Koufax obliged. I guess that would cost me an extra $80 today...

In the summer of 1988 or 1989 I went to a show in S.F. at the Moscone Center and paid $6-$8 for Brock and Gibson, and $12 for Musial.

During the early 1990s I picked up signatures of Luke Appling, Billy Herman, Rick Ferrell, Lou Boudreau for well under $10 each at various shows. I think Boudreau was a freebie at a small show.

Connors I remember was a cheap signature at some show I attended in L.A. and I got one for some cousins who were big Hollywood autograph collectors. As I recall he was a really fun, 'big' personality. Again, did not get anything for myself. Many years later I overpaid for a signed exhibit card.

Adam, that 1988 show must have been right before Koufax jumped up in price because I got his auto I believe in 1989 at a big show at the Shrine auditorium in L.A. and he was in the $30 - 40 range. I remember because almost all the others were very cheap (Barlick, Doerr, Spahn, B. Robinson, etc etc) all in the 8 - 15 dollar range. Geez, a buck really bought you something back then.

[PowderedH2O]

I'm not positive, but I think I paid $10 or $12 for Aaron at a show in Milwaukee in the mid to late 80's (1987?). I do remember paying $7 in 1991 for Lou Brock in Sacramento and getting the chance to chat with him for about ten minutes. What a SUPER nice guy he was!!! At the same show, my friend paid $40 for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and was the only person in line. He asked for Kareem to sign "Kareem" instead of just "Abdul-Jabbar" and Kareem refused.
My best experience was in the summer of 1988 outside the huge convention they had in Arlington, TX. Inside were hundreds of dealers plus Mantle, Mays, and a dozen other HOFers. I was broke, and I couldn't afford the ticket to get in, much less buy anything. My wife and I decided to go to the mall across the street from the convention center to get some air conditioning. While we were pushing my daughter's stroller I could see a giant baseball in the distance. As I got closer I saw that it was Bob Feller and Lou Burdette sitting at a table. I guess the mall figured they could draw in show traffic by having autograph signers of their own. But nobody was talking to them. I went into a dime store and bought a couple of baseballs and some index cards and went over. Both Feller and Burdette were super nice, and at one point Bob Feller put my baby daughter on his lap and sang songs to her. They told me stories for about 30 minutes before we finally left. All for free. Better than any show signing!

[frankbmd]

Don Larsen $10-12 at the 1991 (?) National at Anaheim
Yogi Berra $35 through the mail in 2006.
Ticket Stub $50 in 1990.

Combination - Priceless

[tazdmb]

I still have all my old becketts from the late 80s-Early 90s. I went through these about a year ago and noted that Mantle and Aaron were staples at the shows in those days. I will have to peel through them to see what autograph fees were.. Give me a week to peel through and I will see what I can find.