Autographs- Do you collect? Do your care?

[David Atkatz]

Originally Posted by Tim Kindler

The only basis I have to say that is that the FBI says that 90% of autographs out there are fake. So, if people are being fooled 90% of the time, then they must be harder to detect. Look I'm not claiming to be an expert, just basing my comment on that stat. But I've been wrong before.

And you're wrong again.

[Tim Kindler]

David,
Are you saying Jesus Christ can't hit a curveball?

Seriously, debating on this board in a good spirited manner can be fun and informational. I started this thread just to pick the peoples' minds of those who collect autographs since I'm one who doesn't. Unfortunately for any of us collectors, it can be a scary thing at times with so much garbage, and horrible, dishonest people willing to sell their souls to make a buck.

Anyway, happy collecting everbody and keep pursuing your passions.
Tim

[parker1b2]

I enjoy collecting autographs as I feel it is important part of my memorabilia collection and really enjoy it. I got out of collecting cards in the mid 90s when too many different types were hitting the market and was no longer fun for me. But as someone said collect what you like. I would prefer to get items signed in person, but with deceseased players that is impossible. I do have a goal in life, although will almost never hit it, but to get an autograph from every baseball HOF.

Oh and Scott Garner, I have heard so many horror stories from Albert "don't call me Joey" Belle, but when my brother, me and a whole bunch of other kids at the time met him outside the Skydome when he was with Cleveland, he couldn't have been nicer. Signed for everyone for about an hour and was nice. Signed 3 times for me. But that is the only good experience I think anyone ever had with him.

[novakjr]

Originally Posted by parker1b2

Oh and Scott Garner, I have heard so many horror stories from Albert "don't call me Joey" Belle, but when my brother, me and a whole bunch of other kids at the time met him outside the Skydome when he was with Cleveland, he couldn't have been nicer. Signed for everyone for about an hour and was nice. Signed 3 times for me. But that is the only good experience I think anyone ever had with him.

I never really had any problem here in Cleveland with Albert either. Maybe we were just lucky. Albert could be the nicest person in the world when he wanted to be, unfortunately he had a very short fuse. If he didn't have a good game, or even if a reporter asked him the wrong question in the locker room after the game, you'd have been better off to stay away. Problem is, you never knew which Albert you were getting. Dealing with Albert was like trying to pet a stray dog, sometimes it works out, and other times you're gonna get bit.

Anyways, here in Cleveland we were lucky to have some very classy and accessible players back in the 90's. Omar, Nagy, Thome, Sandy Alomar, so on and so on. Just hanging out near the parking lot you were guaranteed great auto's. Anyone from the best player to the worst. They all signed.

[mjkm90]

I greatly appreciate autographs and have collected a couple dozen over the years of retired players. While I have not purchased any new examples in years due to a shift in interest to other display pieces, I would not shy away from them. I agree with several posters here that some of the fun would be the education process regarding authentic signatures and the hunt.

A little side bar here. There are several guys playing today who's signature I would love to have, but you cant read the damn things. I don't want any autographs in my collection that a person off the street can't make out with a little effort. Penmanship is a rapidly fading away. Does this bother any of you?

[Scott Garner]

Originally Posted by mjkm90

I greatly appreciate autographs and have collected a couple dozen over the years of retired players. While I have not purchased any new examples in years due to a shift in interest to other display pieces, I would not shy away from them. I agree with several posters here that some of the fun would be the education process regarding authentic signatures and the hunt.

A little side bar here. There are several guys playing today who's signature I would love to have, but you cant read the damn things. I don't want any autographs in my collection that a person off the street can't make out with a little effort. Penmanship is a rapidly fading away. Does this bother any of you?

Mike,
I couldn't agree with you more re: celebrity penmanship rapidly fading. FWIW, there are so few current athletes that have an autograph that you can even read that it really makes you wonder if it's even worth getting them at all....

Maybe it's all part of a master plan to create an autograph that no collector would even want...

My own opinion is that our current incessant use of computers and PDA's has distanced us from the practice of the art of writing writing with a pen. I actually think of this every time I attempt to write something longhand; my penmanship has taken a serious hit due to lack of practice. When you think about it, the younger athlete has mostly spent their life using computers and a keyboard to complete school projects that our generation always did in longhand with a pen...

I believe that is one of the reasons that I am drawn to vintage autographs signed with a steel-tipped fountain pen and great penmanship.

[David Atkatz]

Originally Posted by Scott Garner

I believe that is one of the reasons that I am drawn to vintage autographs signed with a steel-tipped fountain pen and great penmanship.

Absolutely, Scott.

(BTW, fountain pen nibs were (and still are) made of gold, not steel. Kinda makes ya wonder--if JSA knows so little about writing implements... )

[tinkereversandme]

I disagree with David in that if something is forged 90% of the time, like a Babe Ruth signature (which I have come to understand is a roughly accurate number) and the people that we most often go to to get our opinions aren't doing the hobby justice (crooked?), then how can this be a healthy collectibles area and how can there be buyer confidence down the line?

If you know what you are doing, you should be safe, but how will you convince someone down the road that you differ in the education you have had in coming to the conclusion that it's authentic that differs from all the rest of the crooks?

You also won't convince anyone that there is just as much fraud in cards as autographs. Trimming, sure, some and overgrading, yes, but an overgraded card still has value, as a forgery has none.

As far as the question at hand: I used to have great joy in waiting in autograph lines to obtain my signatures in person, but today, the prices, attitudes and even mentioned here, the look of the signatures mean little to me. My heroes are dead and if I had a choice between a Ruth signature and a Ruth 1933 Goudey (equal value), I would go for the card.

Regards,

Larry

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by mjkm90

There are several guys playing today who's signature I would love to have, but you cant read the damn things. I don't want any autographs in my collection that a person off the street can't make out with a little effort. Penmanship is a rapidly fading away. Does this bother any of you?

+1

I was disappointed to meet a few guys who were nice but whose penmanship was so poor that I had no idea what I was seeing. Shawn Green is one. Nice guy, rotten signature. A bunch of circular squiggles. Terrible Terry Norris (boxer) too. Super amenable, nicest fellow you could ever hope to meet but he must write in Chinese.

[novakjr]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

I was disappointed to meet a few guys who were nice but whose penmanship was so poor that I had no idea what I was seeing. Shawn Green is one. Nice guy, rotten signature.

Todd Helton is another. His signature isn't that far off of Green's, but there is at least a method to Todd's madness. Shawn's makes no sense whatsoever. Pujols is another that kinda bothers me, his signature just seems lazy. I also hate when players use just their initials. Manny Ramirez does that alot, Kenny Lofton and Frank Thomas both seemed to go through periods of time where they'd just basically initial things..

[Scott Garner]

Originally Posted by novakjr

I never really had any problem here in Cleveland with Albert either. Maybe we were just lucky. Albert could be the nicest person in the world when he wanted to be, unfortunately he had a very short fuse. If he didn't have a good game, or even if a reporter asked him the wrong question in the locker room after the game, you'd have been better off to stay away. Problem is, you never knew which Albert you were getting. Dealing with Albert was like trying to pet a stray dog, sometimes it works out, and other times you're gonna get bit.

Anyways, here in Cleveland we were lucky to have some very classy and accessible players back in the 90's. Omar, Nagy, Thome, Sandy Alomar, so on and so on. Just hanging out near the parking lot you were guaranteed great auto's. Anyone from the best player to the worst. They all signed.

Jonathan and David,
I've been collecting in person autographs for long enough that I know that anyone can have a good or a bad day. I've always believed that approach and timing are everything with regards to successfully "getting your man" (or woman).

I had always heard from other fellow autograph hawks in So Cal that Belle was one of the genuine "toughees" to get in person. Albert had established himself as an impact player with his 50- 50 season in 1995 (50 HR's and 52 Doubles). I took it on as a challenge to try to get him in 1996.

As part of my job as a National Sales Manager for a pharmaceutical company I trained many of my incoming sales reps at the Doubletree Hotel in Anaheim, California. The Doubletree was and still is the place that many visiting teams stayed at when coming in to play the California Angels. As circumstance would have it, I was training one of my new sales reps when the visiting Indians were in town at the tail end of the season. Experience had taught me that Doubletree was always a great place to get visiting player autographs as it was away from the stadium and eliminated competition and conflict from the equation. Anyway, I attempted to get Albert as he was leaving the Doubletree on the way to the stadium. Albert was the last of the Indians to leave the hotel and he was by himself. I spotted him from across the lobby and followed him out the front door where he was standing alone waiting for a cab. There literally wasn't anyone else but Albert and me for 75 feet in any direction. Normally an ideal setup to get your autograph. I asked him politely if he would mind signing a ball for me. His response was a screwed up, pissed off face and he yelled at me "GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME, MAN!!" I said no problem, and that was the all she wrote.

Over the years I have asked literally hundreds of people for their autographs. I have been shut down by a few (seriously not many), but have always at least been treated politely. I'm happy to hear that both of you had quality experiences with Albert. I absolutely did not.... Yikes!!

[parker1b2]

Originally Posted by Scott Garner

Jonathan and David,
I've been collecting in person autographs for long enough that I know that anyone can have a good or a bad day. I've always believed that approach and timing are everything with regards to successfully "getting your man" (or woman).

I had always heard from other fellow autograph hawks in So Cal that Belle was one of the genuine "toughees" to get in person. Albert had established himself as an impact player with his 50- 50 season in 1995 (50 HR's and 52 Doubles). I took it on as a challenge to try to get him in 1996.

As part of my job as a National Sales Manager for a pharmaceutical company I trained many of my incoming sales reps at the Doubletree Hotel in Anaheim, California. The Doubletree was and still is the place that many visiting teams stayed at when coming in to play the California Angels. As circumstance would have it, I was training one of my new sales reps when the visiting Indians were in town at the tail end of the season. Experience had taught me that Doubletree was always a great place to get visiting player autographs as it was away from the stadium and eliminated competition and conflict from the equation. Anyway, I attempted to get Albert as he was leaving the Doubletree on the way to the stadium. Albert was the last of the Indians to leave the hotel and he was by himself. I spotted him from across the lobby and followed him out the front door where he was standing alone waiting for a cab. There literally wasn't anyone else but Albert and me for 75 feet in any direction. Normally an ideal setup to get your autograph. I asked him politely if he would mind signing a ball for me. His response was a screwed up, pissed off face and he yelled at me "GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME, MAN!!" I said no problem, and that was the all she wrote.

Over the years I have asked literally hundreds of people for their autographs. I have been shut down by a few (seriously not many), but have always at least been treated politely. I'm happy to hear that both of you had quality experiences with Albert. I absolutely did not.... Yikes!!

Now that sounds like most of the Albert Belle stories I have heard...

[novakjr]

Originally Posted by parker1b2

Now that sounds like most of the Albert Belle stories I have heard...

Yeah, that sounds like most I've heard as well. Luckily, I never had one of those experiences.