Are signed Perez Steele postcards the coolest thing ever?

[Huck]

Originally Posted by homerunhitter

Are signed Perez Steele postcards the coolest thing ever?

Who likes them? Who collects them?

Pros and Cons of collecting them?

Initially, I did not like the Perez-Steele post cards. I was working on a display for Mazeroski and thought his Perez-Steele post card was a good fit. Now I have 30 plus of the cards signed. All that is left for me is Brett and if hell freezes over Koufax. I kick myself for not getting on the Perez-Steele train sooner. I missed out on getting a bunch of players on their Perez-Steele cards (Mantle, Williams, DiMaggio), preferring to have a ball signed instead.

Pros -

Nice simple collectible. Smaller than an 8x10. Limited to 10,000, which to me is not really limited.

I have yet to have a signature fade like the signature on a baseball.

Reasonably priced on Ebay, although I have yet to purchase a post card I did not get signed in person.


Cons -

No longer produced.

Limited number of living players (20).

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

I dislike Perez' artwork. He has never mastered Caucasian flesh tones. White players are constantly portrayed with blotchy skin, making them look like they have rosacea or a chronic drinking problem.

It's always been fascinating how much some of the early deaths go for due to limited window of opportunity to sign. Hmm, should I get the pristine Lloyd Waner 3X5 for $10, or drop $12K on the Perez Steele?

The base set is OK, but the others do less than nothing for me. Never liked any Perez Steele product enough to be bothered buying a ton. I just pick up the odd valuable name for resale here and there, but haven't in years.

[gonefishin]

Well, I have an interesting story I think.

A few months ago I purchased a large collection of autographs. I didn't see all the items in the collection when I bought it because it was an on line auction. Several unique items in the collection, but when I received it and started sorting through it I found some very interesting cards. They were the Perez Steele submission form cards that one fills out and subscribes to a particular set that guarantees the submitter they will receive each set of that particular serialized set.

Well, the cards were completed by the Hall of Fame players themselves! How crazy is that. There were several.

I did some research and came across an interesting Youtube video about this particular subject, by the handle Legends Never Die. It was a 2 part youtube series detailing these particular submission cards, how they are all 1/1, etc., etc., Part II was an actual interview with Dick Perez.

To shorten the story, I submitted all of mine (15 or so) to PSA and they all came back authentic. Picture attached so you can see what I'm talking about.

I'm not really a Perez Steele collector but I think the set is pretty cool.

Check out the attached and let me know what you think. The home address on the card is also pretty cool.

[Huck]

Originally Posted by gonefishin

Well, I have an interesting story I think.

A few months ago I purchased a large collection of autographs. I didn't see all the items in the collection when I bought it because it was an on line auction. Several unique items in the collection, but when I received it and started sorting through it I found some very interesting cards. They were the Perez Steele submission form cards that one fills out and subscribes to a particular set that guarantees the submitter they will receive each set of that particular serialized set.

Well, the cards were completed by the Hall of Fame players themselves! How crazy is that. There were several.

I did some research and came across an interesting Youtube video about this particular subject, by the handle Legends Never Die. It was a 2 part youtube series detailing these particular submission cards, how they are all 1/1, etc., etc., Part II was an actual interview with Dick Perez.

To shorten the story, I submitted all of mine (15 or so) to PSA and they all came back authentic. Picture attached so you can see what I'm talking about.

I'm not really a Perez Steele collector but I think the set is pretty cool.

Check out the attached and let me know what you think. The home address on the card is also pretty cool.

Pretty cool. Awhile back, the signed cards like the one pictured were discussed on a different thread.

[Huck]

Originally Posted by BillyCoxDodgers3B

I dislike Perez' artwork. He has never mastered Caucasian flesh tones. White players are constantly portrayed with blotchy skin, making them look like they have rosacea or a chronic drinking problem.

It's always been fascinating how much some of the early deaths go for due to limited window of opportunity to sign. Hmm, should I get the pristine Lloyd Waner 3X5 for $10, or drop $12K on the Perez Steele?

The base set is OK, but the others do less than nothing for me. Never liked any Perez Steele product enough to be bothered buying a ton. I just pick up the odd valuable name for resale here and there, but haven't in years.

Agreed, which is why initially I was not sold on the Perez-Steele base post cards. Perez is not Graig Kreindler or even the late Bill Purdom. But after getting one signed, I got on a roll and lamented the fact I went the signed baseball route and not Perez-Steele. The signatures on some of my signed baseballs have faded into oblivion. I also picked up the Ron Lewis Negro league cards which are well done. I have about 25 of those signed. Nice sets.

[Steve D]

I like them.

I subscribed to them from the start, after seeing Bill Madden's Sporting News column about them; and I still have my set. I am very disappointed that the set was discontinued.

I thought long and hard about getting them signed, but decided against it, especially after seeing how some of the big show promoters would handle them through the mail. Basically, a collector would send their card to the show promoter to be signed, but they wouldn't necessarily get the same #'d card back; which would degrade their set, as it would no longer have all cards with the same matching serial number.

I do have several players' signed cards, from the different Perez-Steele series', all PSA/DNA graded, in addition to my main unsigned set.

Steve

[T206Collector]

Originally Posted by BillyCoxDodgers3B

I dislike Perez' artwork.

This. I don’t collect his Donruss puzzle pieces either.

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

Perez also uses gray for areas of white players' skin, resulting in the appearance of deceased tissue. At least that's how I interpret it when I see it. I fail to understand how a different artist couldn't have been found at the time. This was pretty simple sports portraiture for the most part.

Also, in instances where Perez employed backgrounds, they all feel so cookie cutter and forgettable, even when certain unique stadium aspects may be depicted. One gets the impression that Perez isn't concerned with the backgrounds, only painting them due to obligation. For a lot of people, the background is just as important, as we revere the long-lost ballparks and their architecture just as much as we do the players. All of it put together encompasses the total experience.

As someone else mentioned, yes, Graig's style is much more to my liking, but I don't know how great it would have translated to the Perez Steele model. For the later sets, such as Great Moments, it would have been fine, but perhaps not for the base set. So much of the beauty in Graig's work can be found in the backgrounds, and to eliminate that in favor of a white background for autograph purposes might not have worked well. Also, a big part of Graig's personal style is his use of much darker lighting and shading. While it works for what he does, it probably wouldn't have been beneficial in this hypothetical scenario.

[Huck]

Originally Posted by BillyCoxDodgers3B

As someone else mentioned, yes, Graig's style is much more to my liking, but I don't know how great it would have translated to the Perez Steele model. For the later sets, such as Great Moments, it would have been fine, but perhaps not for the base set. So much of the beauty in Graig's work can be found in the backgrounds, and to eliminate that in favor of a white background for autograph purposes might not have worked well. Also, a big part of Graig's personal style is his use of much darker lighting and shading. While it works for what he does, it probably wouldn't have been beneficial in this hypothetical scenario.

Backgrounds worked for the Ron Lewis, Negro League postcards. I am sure Graig would make awesome post cards. The licensing is the huge costly hurdle.

[Bigdaddy]

Originally Posted by Huck

Cons -

No longer produced.

I actually look at this as a 'Pro' for the same reason that I like signed Sports Illustrated magazines. Unlike glossy photos or baseballs (or junk wax cards), they are not produced in unlimited numbers; their production is tied to a specific time. And I would venture that P/S postcards have one of the highest percentages of authentic signatures of any available medium excluding legal documents.

I realize that Dick Perez is not the same painter as Graig or others, but that is not his style. I just appreciate his works for what they are.

Just my two cents.

[perezfan]

Never really cared for the watercolor style vs. the richer/deeper oil-based paints that Graig uses. I do like Dick Perez' earlier work, but his more recent pieces look rather cheap and washed out.

With that said, I do have two original Perez Perezes.

The latter is the original painting used to make his Perez-Steele Postcard.

[gonefishin]

The originals are really cool and present well. I have his original Billy Herman "Greatest Moments", sorry I don't have a photo handy.

I believe there is going to be a documentary film on Dick Perez released late this year. It should be an interesting view.

[RICHIEHARRIS]

[QUOTE=Huck;2459615]Initially, I did not like the Perez-Steele post cards. I was working on a display for Mazeroski and thought his Perez-Steele post card was a good fit. Now I have 30 plus of the cards signed. All that is left for me is Brett and if hell freezes over Koufax. I kick myself for not getting on the Perez-Steele train sooner. I missed out on getting a bunch of players on their Perez-Steele cards (Mantle, Williams, DiMaggio), preferring to have a ball signed instead.

If you believe in global warming I guess it's unlikely that Huck will get one signed by Sandy Koufax. Not sure what he meant by that but I assume it's because of the prices Koufax charges to sign things. Just remember that he's turning 90 this December, Lord willing, so maybe think about how important (or not) it is to have the card signed.

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

It's safe to say that Koufax signed at least a few thousand of them and they are available constantly for exponentially less than he charges to sign now. Easy solve.

Not to mention, most of those were signed 30-40 years ago, so you'd be getting a more youthful, fluid autograph.

At some point, I wonder if a completely unsigned PS base set will command more of a premium, considering they are far rarer without autographs. Hey, there's an idea. Try to collect an unsigned set. No more worries for you.

[RICHIEHARRIS]

That's good to know.
So no concerns about the climate then!

[Huck]

[QUOTE=RICHIEHARRIS;2528700]

Originally Posted by Huck

Initially, I did not like the Perez-Steele post cards. I was working on a display for Mazeroski and thought his Perez-Steele post card was a good fit. Now I have 30 plus of the cards signed. All that is left for me is Brett and if hell freezes over Koufax. I kick myself for not getting on the Perez-Steele train sooner. I missed out on getting a bunch of players on their Perez-Steele cards (Mantle, Williams, DiMaggio), preferring to have a ball signed instead.

If you believe in global warming I guess it's unlikely that Huck will get one signed by Sandy Koufax. Not sure what he meant by that but I assume it's because of the prices Koufax charges to sign things. Just remember that he's turning 90 this December, Lord willing, so maybe think about how important (or not) it is to have the card signed.

I should have mentioned that I prefer to get my autographs in person, so there is no question (to me) as to authenticity. The majority of my collection has been witnessed by me, a relative or a fellow collector. I have done mail order and TTM but mostly for Sports Illustrated covers. If someone is forging Bill Blass covers, so be it. So, the chances of seeing Koufax in person at a show would be a climatic event. I did manage to get Koufax at the 1995 Tuff-Stuff's 7th Summer Classic but that was 11 years before I opted to start getting Perez-Steele postcards signed.

It is easy to pooh-pooh Perez-Steele cards. As a collector, one has to ask "What else was available at the time?" Stock photographs was just not my thing. I have hundreds of signed baseballs. Some of the signatures have just faded away. I stopped getting baseballs signed. The last time I had a ball signed was in 2012. I would take the Perez-Steele cards over the HOF plaque cards all day long. To me the HOF cards are just dull, but that is my opinion. Some collector's enjoy them and that is okay too.

As for selling Perez-Steele cards for big $$$ or at least breaking even, that was really never on my mind. I was just trying to acquire the living players that were available at the time (2006).

As someone mentioned above, collect what you enjoy.