Do you pay extra for a card from a famous collector?

[Kco]

Originally Posted by calvindog

I think one of the main reasons I’d be interested in a card owned by an old time hobby leader is the decreased likelihood of alteration.

I second this, and on the autograph side I feel it adds a huge layer of history behind any premium item vs a random non-descript item of similar quality. I happen to be a GPC collector and paid a premium on a few tough ones from the Long Beach collection that was sold off via Lelands last year.

[Yoda]

One of my most prized pieces is a Pinkerton T3 Cobb with Buck Barker's printed name and address on the back. I probably will be buried with it.

[Al C.risafulli]

I think it depends on who the collector is.

Some of the hobby pioneers mentioned in this thread, I'd be proud to own one of their cards, with the knowledge that it was, at least in part, that person's dedication to the hobby that has helped keep it alive all these years. I like the chain of custody that goes back that far, as well.

There are a few more recent collectors who are/were personal friends of mine, like Jim Blumenthal or Chris Stufflestreet, that the idea of owning a card that was once part of their collection would have a personal meaning to me, and I'd probably pay a little extra.

I'm not really impressed by cards once owned by actual players, though I do have some N300 HOFers that came from Casey Stengel's collection, which I'm proud to own, and for which I paid strongly ten or fifteen years ago. Aside from that, though, I don't think I'd give any level of priority to a player's own cards.

-Al

[raulus]

Not really??

As it turns out, a handful of the best pieces in my collection can be traced back to some previous collectors, like Copeland or Lew Lipset.

But quite honestly, I don't feel like that really motivated me to buy them, or to pay extra. I just wanted the piece because it was an amazing piece. The fact that it has the provenance is a nice bonus, but on its own, it certainly wasn't a motivating factor.

[vansaad]

I think a small premium would be in order for the 1958 Mantle that Bob Costas has carried in his wallet for a million years. That card has seen more stuff than Large Ass Herzog.

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

Originally Posted by Kco

I second this, and on the autograph side I feel it adds a huge layer of history behind any premium item vs a random non-descript item of similar quality. I happen to be a GPC collector and paid a premium on a few tough ones from the Long Beach collection that was sold off via Lelands last year.

With familiar collector markings, GPCs and 3X5s can often tell their own histories if you're versed in the various notations and printing styles of earlier collectors.

The first bonus with this is the aforementioned history/provenance.

The second is that, with these autographed items, the value seems unaffected by such markings and may in fact net you a little premium. With cards, a marked card usually takes a big hit. Buck Barker notations pale in comparison to a GEM MINT 10, unfortunately. I'm with the people who would rather have the Buck cards, but we all know how the game is played.

Some collectors were very good about dating the backs of their 3X5s. Roy Pitts, Roger Harris and Jim Rogge come to mind. They obtained most of their collections TTM. Harold Esch used to get 3X5s signed in person during spring training and would also date them in a lower corner. This is a tradition I've always upheld with the 3X5s I personally obtained, but keep my writing to light pencil on the backs. Dating these items helps us and the future generations have a better grasp of the evolution of every player's signature, so I always take the time to date mine, just as old T. Roy Pitts liked to do for all those years. I'd advise anyone else to do the same! In time, and to people perhaps yet to be born, our notations will be of equal interest as those earlier collectors.

The third wonderful aspect is that I have yet to see any forger attempt to replicate any of the collector's handwritten notations. I'm racking my memory bank long and hard to think of any instance and am coming up empty. You'd just think that this would have happened a time or three.

[Kco]

Originally Posted by BillyCoxDodgers3B

With familiar collector markings, GPCs and 3X5s can often tell their own histories if you're versed in the various notations and printing styles of earlier collectors.

The first bonus with this is the aforementioned history/provenance.

The second is that, with these autographed items, the value seems unaffected by such markings and may in fact net you a little premium. With cards, a marked card usually takes a big hit. Buck Barker notations pale in comparison to a GEM MINT 10, unfortunately. I'm with the people who would rather have the Buck cards, but we all know how the game is played.

Some collectors were very good about dating the backs of their 3X5s. Roy Pitts, Roger Harris and Jim Rogge come to mind. They obtained most of their collections TTM. Harold Esch used to get 3X5s signed in person during spring training and would also date them in a lower corner. This is a tradition I've always upheld with the 3X5s I personally obtained, but keep my writing to light pencil on the backs. Dating these items helps us and the future generations have a better grasp of the evolution of every player's signature, so I always take the time to date mine, just as old T. Roy Pitts liked to do for all those years. I'd advise anyone else to do the same! In time, and to people perhaps yet to be born, our notations will be of equal interest as those earlier collectors.

The third wonderful aspect is that I have yet to see any forger attempt to replicate any of the collector's handwritten notations. I'm racking my memory bank long and hard to think of any instance and am coming up empty. You'd just think that this would have happened a time or three.

Its really funny you mentioned Roy Pitts, I picked up an absolutely incredible Roberto Clemente from 1957 that was part of his collection, and it's the best Clemente GPC (of which I've seen fewer than 10 or so in 20+ years) I've ever seen. I paid two premiums on that one, first the high grade nature and the rarity of Clemente on a GPC and second for provenance.

Of course it's dated neatly (3-23-57) on the back like most all of his are.

[Harliduck]

The old saying, it's worth what people are willing to spend...and I would have to imagine if a celebrity had proven provenance on a card, or a player as mentioned, I guarantee it will sell for a bit more.

I collect classic car's more seriously than cards, and I can tell you when a car has any type of celebrity provenance, it certainly sells for a premium. I can recall a 1956 Chevy Bell Air owned by Reggie Jackson and a 1964 VW Bus owned by Jerry Seinfeld were recently auctioned off, and both went for twice the car's worth. I would think the same would be for ANY collectable.

As for any collectors that are well known to the hobby like many mentioned here, probably only a value to those hard core enough to know who they are, and that list has to be pretty small. I wouldn't invest in those names...but all it takes is two people in an auction who value that name...and boom.