Autographs- Do you collect? Do your care?

bbcard1 · #1 03-05-2011, 04:12 PM

I don't really collect autos, but I do have two projects I enjoy. I have a negro league bat that is pretty much full...it's just as well as there are few of those guys still around. I also have a Baseball Encylopedia with more than 180 signatures across the appropriate entry.

Scott Garner · #2 03-05-2011, 04:52 PM

No doubt, I have always been an autograph hawk (stalker). I primarily have collected baseball players that I liked through the years, and each has a great story that accompanies it. Too many of these to list here. Nolan Ryan and Cal Ripken were great signers and always personable. Albert "don't call me Joey" Belle was the all-time biggest tool without a doubt! That's a story that isn't fit to print.

BTW, I've also been fortunate to have gotten the autograph of quite a few of my favorite golfers (Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, Lee Trevino, Greg Norman, Fred Couples, Corey Pavin, Johnny Miller, Tiger Woods, Bruce Lietzke, Ricky Fowler (current young gun on the PGA), Nancy Lopez, Annika Sorenstam, etc.). I'm not a huge basketball fan, but I did enjoy the LA Lakers for many years. I managed to catch Jerry West, Magic Johnson and James Worthy one-on-one and each were nice enough to sign for me. Magic Johnson was one of my favorite autograph experiences of all time. Julius Erving was another awesome experience.

These days my major autograph pursuit is trying to get the signature of every pitcher that ever threw a perfect game since 1893 (the year that they moved the mound distance to the modern standard of 60' 6"). I have personally gotten the signature of about 106 living no-hit pitchers. Additionally, I own the sig of another 140 that are no longer alive. Several of these I got in person. In order to complete my goal I still am looking for about 18 more early names. It's a brutally hard challenge, but I love it.

Collect what you like!

bbcard1 · #3 03-05-2011, 05:08 PM

I had a guy in his early 20s who used to work with me who was fearless. He had a couple of monster boxes full of cards. He was about 6 foot 3 and had an athletic build and he used to take his card stuff in a bat bag and walk into minor league clubhouses posing as a player. Rarely got busted...really worked it in an organized and systematic way. Was just as glad to get autos from single A players as major leaguers.

ksfarmboy · #4 03-05-2011, 05:17 PM

Mickey Mantle ruined it for me when I was a kid. Most of the ones I have were personally obtained at shows in the late 70's, early 80's. The others I have are ones that nobody would fake like local minor league ones. Now there are so many fakes and I don't know or care to learn the difference between real and fake. I have no problem with collecting them they are just not for me. As the previous poster said the ones I got at shows take me back to when my dad and I used to go. The memory means more than the auto.

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