I am trying to get a Michelle Obama signature for my collection and right now it looks like the only available option is to buy her Deluxe signed edition of Becoming (and remove signed page to get signature separate) which unfortunately is going for over $250 on eBay right now. I tried to bid on one last night that started at a very low starting bid but it of course went for more than I wanted to spend (after fees, taxes and shipping it would had been just over $250). Ideally I want one under $200.
I found other Michelle Obama signed Becoming regular editions that were signed, but I am very scared they could be forgeries, or maybe even autopen. Those are cheaper ($150) in some instances but in others cost $350. Other than the books, it appears she doesn’t really exist in authentic autograph form in any other formats. Hmm
That brings this question…will she become super common in years to come like other former First Ladies are now? Even Nancy Reagan who is a little harder to get still is reasonable for like $50. Others such as Barbara Bush, Laura Bush, Betty Ford, Rosalynn Carter are under $20 for just signatures. Hillary Clinton is like $30. Not really sure what Melania Trump is going for as I rarely see her for sale. So why should Michelle Obama be over $200!? Makes me wonder if I should wait and see if I can get it for like $50 but then again, what if by the off chance she runs for President and it skyrockets?
So much to consider in that seemingly simple question....
Here are some random thoughts.
Most of the First Ladies you mentioned from Laura Bush backward, signed TTM to some degree. For example, i got a few NR inscribed photos and books back in the day. When I started collecting, Patricia Nixon was considered the least common First Lady of the 20th century and I even got a signed book from her.
As for MO, I don't think was ever really available TTM, and certainly not now (same for BO). There isn't a pool of material to support the collector's market.
What concerns me about the non-limited edition signed books is the source. If she doesn't sign TTM, did she do a book tour? 🤔
If she did run for president your best bet is to camp out in NH during primary season and get her IP.
Other options: wait and see if she writes another book. If she was going to run, they often write a book beforehand.
As a last resort, and this is admittedly a crazy idea, you could write to her and offer her or her charity the $200 you are willing to spend.
@JBK said:
So much to consider in that seemingly simple question....
Here are some random thoughts.
Most of the First Ladies you mentioned from Laura Bush backward, signed TTM to some degree. For example, i got a few NR inscribed photos and books back in the day. When I started collecting, Patricia Nixon was considered the least common First Lady of the 20th century and I even got a signed book from her.
As for MO, I don't think was ever really available TTM, and certainly not now (same for BO). There isn't a pool of material to support the collector's market.
What concerns me about the non-limited edition signed books is the source. If she doesn't sign TTM, did she do a book tour? 🤔
If she did run for president your best bet is to camp out in NH during primary season and get her IP.
Other options: wait and see if she writes another book. If she was going to run, they often write a book beforehand.
As a last resort, and this is admittedly a crazy idea, you could write to her and offer her or her charity the $200 you are willing to spend.
All very interesting ideas. For the time being I will see if maybe I can stumble upon a signed Deluxe edition for under $200 - sometimes I find deals. The original retail was $150. If I strike out and it’s been a year or two I can try the other ideas.
Michelle Obama did do a book tour in 2018 but not sure if she signed books at it for everyone in person. It might had just been a speaking event similar to what Stephen King does now. They do however provide some signed books at such events (give out 200 signed copies to 200/1000 attendees so one in every 5 gets one). It’s random so you don’t know if your book is signed until they hand it to you and you open it. You never see it signed so definitely possibly of autopen although in Stephen King’s situation they were authentic.
I have never attempted in person in NH but that sounds like an interesting idea if it’s usually successful in obtaining autographs. I know Presidents have done many campaign stops there but I always thought it was a long shot to actually get an autograph there and it being a lot of driving and time I never thought it was worth it if I am likely to leave empty handed.
I have never attempted in person in NH but that sounds like an interesting idea if it’s usually successful in obtaining autographs. I know Presidents have done many campaign stops there but I always thought it was a long shot to actually get an autograph there and it being a lot of driving and time I never thought it was worth it if I am likely to leave empty handed.
It is a blast - I've done it many times.
You can basically fit three events into a day if you organize (there's a lot of driving back and forth).
Once you get the hang of it, it's easy. Get there early, worm your way into a good spot (you can even sometimes do this when the speech ends, as most people turn around to leave), and be aggressive/insistent.
I got almost everyone I wanted. A few people had closed or overfilled invitation events.
We got so good at it we'd get our photos taken with a candidate on Saturday, get an 8x10 made at Wal-Mart that night, and get it autographed the next day.
This nice un-inscribed Martin Luther King Jr. signature just sold for $9737
Just saw an old Pawn Stars episode where they purchased a Martin Luther King Jr. signed anti-Vietnam War speech very nicely signed “Best Wishes, Martin Luther King Jr.” in ball point pen on the first page opposite a black and white photo of MLK Jr. It was rare in that MLK Jr. very rarely spoke about the Vietnam War and this speech was pretty much the only time he did. The speech was printed up as like a little pamphlet in 1967 (one year before he was assassinated) and this example was beautifully signed. The seller wanted $12,000. The authenticator looked at it, believed it to be authentic and valued it at $12,000. The Pawn Stars got it for $10,000! I would have easily paid that, but I do realize this episode is probably a few years old BEFORE these historical autographs started to skyrocket. Just a simple unpersonalized signature like the one I quoted above sold for almost $10,000! I imagine this speech would be at least $20,000 today.
The thing I find very interesting is that while a vast majority of autographs have increased in value in the past few years, one field in particular has actually declined in value. That field is vintage Hollywood movie stars.
One example I can illustrate here is James “Jimmy” Stewart. I remember back in 2005 I paid $230 for a signed James Stewart index card (not personalized) a fellow collector got signed ttm. I knew at the time that was overpriced since typical prices for similar James Stewart index cards were around $100.
I saw this one on eBay, also not personalized, and got curious how much it would bring. Bidding started at 99 cents and was being sold by a highly respected seller — much of their offerings bring solid prices, sometimes more than they should.
This sold for just under $29 I took a quick look at completed items for Stewart and a nice 8x10 signed photo FAILED to get a $40 starting bid! I remember when those routinely brought at least $100. If they were photo scene photos they brought $250+.
@JBK said:
The good news is that autographs that I once considered somewhat minor, such as John Williams and Milton Friedman, seem to be quite valuable now.
Yeah, I noticed that too with John Williams. It probably has something to do with the fact nearly all Star Wars people have skyrocketed in recent years. I am still amazed at how much Frank Oz brings these days.
Didn’t know Milton Friedman went up in price. Interesting.
Yes, it's sad much of OH autographs are in the decline. Part of me is glad since that's one of my main focuses for the past few years now and some I have wanted for many years are now affordable & i've been able to acquire.
Still, people like Monroe, John Wayne, Audrey Hepburn still bring strong $ and probably will for many more years.
As much as I despise the Kardashians, Kims B.S. stunt with Monroes dress brought young eyes to OH so that may bring interest in time.
And Carole Landis, shes continuing to go up. Glad I got several autographs, letters and other things before her big rise in the late 2010s. Some stuff is eye bleeding for wallet size autograph pics. It's nuts.
I was browsing eBay and noticed Hillary Clinton’s autograph really isn’t worth much. An inscribed full signature in a signed book brought just under $20.
There are a few on sale right now for Buy It Now for under $50 each. Since they are personalized and the handwriting definitely looks like Hillary’s I believe them to be authentic. Her signed books with non-full but likely authentic signatures go for under $50 as well, usually $30 or less. The autopen or questionable signed books I understand might flood the market and make people scared to buy ANY Hillary Clinton autograph. I did find a signed photo with handwritten inscription and full signature and that brought a little over $15. I understand personalization hurts value but this still looked like it should be worth much more.
Anyway, I noticed this trend with First Ladies and how nobody seems to really collect them these days. I had trouble unloading the Betty Ford and Barbara Bush signatures I had. Many people would tell me “Presidents sell, but no one wants First Ladies.” I was finally able to get back what I paid but it took me nearly six months to find someone to buy them.
I am glad I bought Michelle Obama’s autograph though. I don’t collect First Ladies but I made an exception for Michelle since I admire her. I just hope her autograph doesn’t someday drop to only $30 or even less.
I had been browsing eBay and noticed this seller constantly writes and sends Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas photos to sign ttm and then lists them on eBay. He sells tons of them. I noticed another seller who does this same thing but before selling them gets them all authenticated with stickers then sells them starting at like $60. They are also doing this with other personalities that sign good ttm. It makes me sad because I can tell he is requesting the autographs only to sell them. As a result of this type of behavior a lot of people stop signing ttm. Ruth Bader Ginsburg stopped signing ttm for this very reason. I can understand if you sell ttm autographs that you once collected and decided you no longer wanted or wanted to trade them for something else, but to get them for the sole purpose of selling them makes me sad. Just my thoughts.
@JMS1223 said:
I had been browsing eBay and noticed this seller constantly writes and sends Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas photos to sign ttm and then lists them on eBay. He sells tons of them. I noticed another seller who does this same thing but before selling them gets them all authenticated with stickers then sells them starting at like $60. They are also doing this with other personalities that sign good ttm. It makes me sad because I can tell he is requesting the autographs only to sell them. As a result of this type of behavior a lot of people stop signing ttm. Ruth Bader Ginsburg stopped signing ttm for this very reason. I can understand if you sell ttm autographs that you once collected and decided you no longer wanted or wanted to trade them for something else, but to get them for the sole purpose of selling them makes me sad. Just my thoughts.
And why do you think that modern celebrities charge so damn much for autographs at comic cons, autograph shows or some other similar appearance? In the 80s and 90s, the cost of an autograph was included in the ticket prices of the show, usually $35 or less. You only paid the person if you bought an 8x10 photo from them personally or another item from them, Dana Plato sold her scripts for $30 and that included her signature and if Todd Bridges was there, also included. Wish I could had the $ to buy it, but as a kid, that was a lot. But, I am happy to have gotten her sig for $10 and picking out her rarest headshot to boot.
But, todays celebs charge $40-$120, per signed item, and usually the same price for a pic with them with your own camera. So you can drop $200 for just a signature of some low rent celebrity and photo. F-that. It's why my dad and I stopped doing shows in the late 2000s.
Celebs have told me they do it because of ebay scalpers and other nefarious sellers. It's too bad that these people have taken away something that used to be affordable and more personal as well.
There is also promoters for this various reason, charging more. The cons don't set the price the person charges. So I blame these new promoters for auto signing too. Crooks.
and to think I could have a nice Ruth Bader Ginsburg signed Chambers Card and other items very easy ttm if people weren’t selling her autograph in the first place. Also wouldn’t be super expensive right now either…same with other personalities that used to sign ttm then quit due to sellers.
Fingers crossed Clarence Thomas continues to sign ttm. I worry that he may quit when they see these few dealers selling dozens of them a month. I noticed they had a Breyer too.
I wonder if those people are pulling the same scam that Neil Armstrong discovered - people would write claiming they were teachers and asked for dozens of uninscribed photos for their students.
@JBK said:
I wonder if those people are pulling the same scam that Neil Armstrong discovered - people would write claiming they were teachers and asked for dozens of uninscribed photos for their students.
Definitely possible with all the different Thomas photos I see - none personalized. The Breyer ones appears to be only one or two per a seller but still enough to raise alarm. I am thinking Breyer might only sign one photo/item per request and return rest unsigned. Thomas appears to sign them all. Bunch of celebrities too they are selling - some have a lot more than others so I am thinking the celebrities that sign multiples have the most and those that do a one autograph per request might have other tricks such as using alternative addresses. Also NONE of these autographs are personalized so that makes me think less than truthful letters of requests.
A side thought - if they sent Breyer multiple photos and he only signed one and returned rest unsigned makes me wonder if perhaps they tried those unsigned photos again not realizing they get irradiated (a SECOND ZAP ) with different address. But since photo(s) probably didn’t survive the second zap they never got to see it and probably just got thrown away when Breyer received it. Just a random thought I had.
Looks like someone just paid/bid $30 for an easy ttm autograph they themselves could had gotten - a 4x6 signed photo of Clarence Thomas. Guess many people still aren’t aware of ttm collecting.
I just did a search on eBay for Ruth Bader Ginsburg signed Chambers Cards. There are about ten available for sale, all Buy It Now. Most of them would be rejects for me due to them having authentication stickers on them but what strikes me is that they are all still very expensive. The cheapest one was $1850. The most expensive was $6000. The average price would probably be about $2500. I looked in completed auctions and found only two sold Chambers Cards for RBG. One that sold for $1850 (same seller as the one currently for sale, they must have a few but unfortunately they get their autographs stickered) and the other one sold for under $2500 (a best offer was accepted so I assume it probably sold for $2200-$2300). There were a few other RBG signed items including a FDC and a letter, both sold for around $1000-$1100 each.
This has been the trend since I started looking for one a year and a half ago. All RBG autographs are listed as Buy It Now and all usually at minimum $1000 for non Chambers Cards and minimum $2000 for Chambers Cards. Might have to bite the bullet and spend this kind of money to get one. I wish someone here or on other autograph forums had a ttm they could sell or trade me for a more agreeable price. I have decided to be more open to trading some of the autographs in my personal collection to get an RBG signed Chambers Card. Problem is I don’t think anyone even has one despite seeing four different ones scanned on one autograph forum’s database. I am guessing those members are no longer around, no longer have them or simply reuse to trade them.
@JBK said:
I suspect that one or more dealers bought all these up and they are cornering/setting the market.
I have my doubts that they are really worth that much. I think they are hoarding the available supply and are trying to keep prices high.
You'll need to find one being sold off by an original owner. I don't think RBG used an autopen so a Chambers Card or letter should be safe.
That was my thinking too. They bought them all up cheap (they are those snipers that keep bidding until price gets too high for you) and now are trying to sell them for way more than they are actually worth (considering few have actually sold for those prices).
Even if a cheap one shows up they will put in a high bid like $1800 which is too much for a collector (and collector will usually give up at like $1100 anyway, so dealer gets it cheaper than their $1800 bid) but cheap enough for them to try to sell for $2500.
I also agree RBG didn’t use autopen. It’s mostly O’Connor I have to worry about with that, which is why I only want to buy a personalized O’Connor seeing as those are usually not autopen (as long as inscription looks like her handwriting).
A while back I saw this Ruth Bader Ginsburg signed FDC on eBay for a low starting bid (I think $20) so I tried to get it. I ended up bidding like $350 since I wasn’t 100% confident it was authentic (after all it wasn’t a Chambers Card or Supreme Court photo) and due to low opening bid I was cautious it might be a good forgery. Needless to say I got snipped and it went for like $375. Now I see it back on eBay slabbed and now priced at $1999 Buy It Now.
@JBK said:
I'm afraid that's the way it is likely to go, at least for the foreseeable future.
I don't think those prices are possibly sustainable long-term, but they'll keep trying until the market comes to its senses.
That’s why I am hoping someone on one of the three autograph forums I visit has one available to trade. I decided to consider a few autographs I have in my personal collection to trade for one.
@JBK said:
I'm afraid that's the way it is likely to go, at least for the foreseeable future.
I don't think those prices are possibly sustainable long-term, but they'll keep trying until the market comes to its senses.
That’s why I am hoping someone on one of the three autograph forums I visit has one available to trade. I decided to consider a few autographs I have in my personal collection to trade for one.
I normally don't like people sending out autograph requests for the purpose of selling them, but in your particular case maybe you could pursue a few quality TTM opportunities to build up an "inventory" to use for this trade. 🤔
Steve Jobs is another one that is ridiculous. $5000 usually for Jobs so this one being nearly $3000 more shocks me and he’s not even deceased like Jobs.
I was just thinking about the Frank Abagnale autograph I sold during my big sell off in 2011. I got $500 for it. I was rather surprised so it got me thinking what is his autograph worth now? I figured it may had gone up in price since many autographs have but nope, one recently sold for $15 on eBay! I wonder what Warren Buffet was worth in 2011.
Interesting how Warren Buffet is worth $8K and Frank Abagnale (I know he’s completely different from Buffet) only worth $15. Interesting how this is.
Sad. I currently see FIVE Clarence Thomas signed photos very likely obtained ttm for sale on eBay. There are a bunch of other older ttm signed items from him as well. These five I noticed are all from that 4x6 photo dealer. Watching them all to see what they end of bringing. A 4x6 Thomas signed photo brought about $30 last night.
Can’t believe someone just bought this for $50 Buy It Now considering he was/is any easy ttm AND this small 4x6 photo is clipped/damaged and NOT even authenticated.
For comparison an 8x10 signed photo of Clarence Thomas that was authenticated and not clipped sold for $119. Considering the price of authentication fees, I think the profit margin for the unauthenticated verses authenticated isn’t much different in THIS case. I know MOST of the time if something is authenticated it usually goes for so much more than the costs of getting it authenticated that it is well worth it.
Sorry for yet another update. That seller who just sold the two Clarence Thomas photos for $50 each just listed another FIVE with Buy It Now for that same $50 each (technically they are $47 but with $4 shipping it’s just over $50). It appears with one clipped in this batch and two from the other, he routinely sent/sends Thomas 3 photos per each request. Surprised people are buying these up. A Breyer 4x6 signed photo only brought $15.
I want your thoughts - how much would you personally pay for this if you wanted a Martin Luther King Jr. signature in your collection? I don’t want to overpay so I am curious what is DEFINITELY considered too much in your opinion? Ideally I would love to get it for like $2500 but I doubt that can happen due to recent price increases for many autographs.
I am absolutely amazed at some of the prices that some of the slabbed autographs RR Auction held brought tonight.
After the buyer’s premium an Elon Musk signed one dollar bill sold for $20,000 That has to be the most I ever heard of an autograph of a living person bringing.
Also interesting was a Steve Jobs handwritten and signed quote bringing around $25,000 after premium.
A Steve Jobs filled out one page job application brought nearly $200,000 The thing that bothers me about that particular piece is there is a piece of scotch tape at the top and instead of removing it during encapsulation they left it on. It wasn’t covering any text and would had been easy to remove but nope, they left it alone so decades from now there will be a brown stripe at the top of page.
Finally a neat rarity - a Mao Zedong signed postcard size photo. Brought about $250,000.
I found this Martin Luther King Jr. signed cut for auction. I am pretty certain it’s authentic but it’s less than ideal. However bidding starts very low so there is a chance I can get this for a price I can maybe afford.
What would you recommend? Would you bid on it at all or is it too undesirable at any price? I appreciate any advice or opinions.
Comments
The picture makes it look folded but in actuality it is not. Just a slight bend. In person you can barely see it.
That's GREAT news!
I am trying to get a Michelle Obama signature for my collection and right now it looks like the only available option is to buy her Deluxe signed edition of Becoming (and remove signed page to get signature separate) which unfortunately is going for over $250 on eBay right now. I tried to bid on one last night that started at a very low starting bid but it of course went for more than I wanted to spend (after fees, taxes and shipping it would had been just over $250). Ideally I want one under $200.
I found other Michelle Obama signed Becoming regular editions that were signed, but I am very scared they could be forgeries, or maybe even autopen. Those are cheaper ($150) in some instances but in others cost $350. Other than the books, it appears she doesn’t really exist in authentic autograph form in any other formats. Hmm
That brings this question…will she become super common in years to come like other former First Ladies are now? Even Nancy Reagan who is a little harder to get still is reasonable for like $50. Others such as Barbara Bush, Laura Bush, Betty Ford, Rosalynn Carter are under $20 for just signatures. Hillary Clinton is like $30. Not really sure what Melania Trump is going for as I rarely see her for sale. So why should Michelle Obama be over $200!? Makes me wonder if I should wait and see if I can get it for like $50 but then again, what if by the off chance she runs for President and it skyrockets?
So much to consider in that seemingly simple question....
Here are some random thoughts.
Most of the First Ladies you mentioned from Laura Bush backward, signed TTM to some degree. For example, i got a few NR inscribed photos and books back in the day. When I started collecting, Patricia Nixon was considered the least common First Lady of the 20th century and I even got a signed book from her.
As for MO, I don't think was ever really available TTM, and certainly not now (same for BO). There isn't a pool of material to support the collector's market.
What concerns me about the non-limited edition signed books is the source. If she doesn't sign TTM, did she do a book tour? 🤔
If she did run for president your best bet is to camp out in NH during primary season and get her IP.
Other options: wait and see if she writes another book. If she was going to run, they often write a book beforehand.
As a last resort, and this is admittedly a crazy idea, you could write to her and offer her or her charity the $200 you are willing to spend.
All very interesting ideas. For the time being I will see if maybe I can stumble upon a signed Deluxe edition for under $200 - sometimes I find deals. The original retail was $150. If I strike out and it’s been a year or two I can try the other ideas.
Michelle Obama did do a book tour in 2018 but not sure if she signed books at it for everyone in person. It might had just been a speaking event similar to what Stephen King does now. They do however provide some signed books at such events (give out 200 signed copies to 200/1000 attendees so one in every 5 gets one). It’s random so you don’t know if your book is signed until they hand it to you and you open it. You never see it signed so definitely possibly of autopen although in Stephen King’s situation they were authentic.
I have never attempted in person in NH but that sounds like an interesting idea if it’s usually successful in obtaining autographs. I know Presidents have done many campaign stops there but I always thought it was a long shot to actually get an autograph there and it being a lot of driving and time I never thought it was worth it if I am likely to leave empty handed.
It is a blast - I've done it many times.
You can basically fit three events into a day if you organize (there's a lot of driving back and forth).
Once you get the hang of it, it's easy. Get there early, worm your way into a good spot (you can even sometimes do this when the speech ends, as most people turn around to leave), and be aggressive/insistent.
I got almost everyone I wanted. A few people had closed or overfilled invitation events.
We got so good at it we'd get our photos taken with a candidate on Saturday, get an 8x10 made at Wal-Mart that night, and get it autographed the next day.
We can discuss it again in a couple years.
Just saw an old Pawn Stars episode where they purchased a Martin Luther King Jr. signed anti-Vietnam War speech very nicely signed “Best Wishes, Martin Luther King Jr.” in ball point pen on the first page opposite a black and white photo of MLK Jr. It was rare in that MLK Jr. very rarely spoke about the Vietnam War and this speech was pretty much the only time he did. The speech was printed up as like a little pamphlet in 1967 (one year before he was assassinated) and this example was beautifully signed. The seller wanted $12,000. The authenticator looked at it, believed it to be authentic and valued it at $12,000. The Pawn Stars got it for $10,000! I would have easily paid that, but I do realize this episode is probably a few years old BEFORE these historical autographs started to skyrocket. Just a simple unpersonalized signature like the one I quoted above sold for almost $10,000! I imagine this speech would be at least $20,000 today.
Not sure if this will post correctly, but here is a video clip of the Pawn Stars buying the MLK Jr. signed speech:
Those prices are absolutely amazing!
The thing I find very interesting is that while a vast majority of autographs have increased in value in the past few years, one field in particular has actually declined in value. That field is vintage Hollywood movie stars.
One example I can illustrate here is James “Jimmy” Stewart. I remember back in 2005 I paid $230 for a signed James Stewart index card (not personalized) a fellow collector got signed ttm. I knew at the time that was overpriced since typical prices for similar James Stewart index cards were around $100.
I saw this one on eBay, also not personalized, and got curious how much it would bring. Bidding started at 99 cents and was being sold by a highly respected seller — much of their offerings bring solid prices, sometimes more than they should.
This sold for just under $29
I took a quick look at completed items for Stewart and a nice 8x10 signed photo FAILED to get a $40 starting bid! I remember when those routinely brought at least $100. If they were photo scene photos they brought $250+.
I have a few JS autographs that I consider to be above average, but it sounds like even they are on the decline.
The good news is that autographs that I once considered somewhat minor, such as John Williams and Milton Friedman, seem to be quite valuable now.
Yeah, I noticed that too with John Williams. It probably has something to do with the fact nearly all Star Wars people have skyrocketed in recent years. I am still amazed at how much Frank Oz brings these days.
Didn’t know Milton Friedman went up in price. Interesting.
I stumbled on one on ebay and was shocked the price. I did a search and found very few listed.
He passed away before the modern explosion in the autograph market.
Yes, it's sad much of OH autographs are in the decline. Part of me is glad since that's one of my main focuses for the past few years now and some I have wanted for many years are now affordable & i've been able to acquire.
Still, people like Monroe, John Wayne, Audrey Hepburn still bring strong $ and probably will for many more years.
As much as I despise the Kardashians, Kims B.S. stunt with Monroes dress brought young eyes to OH so that may bring interest in time.
And Carole Landis, shes continuing to go up. Glad I got several autographs, letters and other things before her big rise in the late 2010s. Some stuff is eye bleeding for wallet size autograph pics. It's nuts.
I was browsing eBay and noticed Hillary Clinton’s autograph really isn’t worth much. An inscribed full signature in a signed book brought just under $20.
There are a few on sale right now for Buy It Now for under $50 each. Since they are personalized and the handwriting definitely looks like Hillary’s I believe them to be authentic. Her signed books with non-full but likely authentic signatures go for under $50 as well, usually $30 or less. The autopen or questionable signed books I understand might flood the market and make people scared to buy ANY Hillary Clinton autograph. I did find a signed photo with handwritten inscription and full signature and that brought a little over $15. I understand personalization hurts value but this still looked like it should be worth much more.
Anyway, I noticed this trend with First Ladies and how nobody seems to really collect them these days. I had trouble unloading the Betty Ford and Barbara Bush signatures I had. Many people would tell me “Presidents sell, but no one wants First Ladies.” I was finally able to get back what I paid but it took me nearly six months to find someone to buy them.
I am glad I bought Michelle Obama’s autograph though. I don’t collect First Ladies but I made an exception for Michelle since I admire her. I just hope her autograph doesn’t someday drop to only $30 or even less.
Those prices are insane!
I had been browsing eBay and noticed this seller constantly writes and sends Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas photos to sign ttm and then lists them on eBay. He sells tons of them. I noticed another seller who does this same thing but before selling them gets them all authenticated with stickers then sells them starting at like $60. They are also doing this with other personalities that sign good ttm. It makes me sad because I can tell he is requesting the autographs only to sell them. As a result of this type of behavior a lot of people stop signing ttm. Ruth Bader Ginsburg stopped signing ttm for this very reason. I can understand if you sell ttm autographs that you once collected and decided you no longer wanted or wanted to trade them for something else, but to get them for the sole purpose of selling them makes me sad. Just my thoughts.
And why do you think that modern celebrities charge so damn much for autographs at comic cons, autograph shows or some other similar appearance? In the 80s and 90s, the cost of an autograph was included in the ticket prices of the show, usually $35 or less. You only paid the person if you bought an 8x10 photo from them personally or another item from them, Dana Plato sold her scripts for $30 and that included her signature and if Todd Bridges was there, also included. Wish I could had the $ to buy it, but as a kid, that was a lot. But, I am happy to have gotten her sig for $10 and picking out her rarest headshot to boot.
But, todays celebs charge $40-$120, per signed item, and usually the same price for a pic with them with your own camera. So you can drop $200 for just a signature of some low rent celebrity and photo. F-that. It's why my dad and I stopped doing shows in the late 2000s.
Celebs have told me they do it because of ebay scalpers and other nefarious sellers. It's too bad that these people have taken away something that used to be affordable and more personal as well.
There is also promoters for this various reason, charging more. The cons don't set the price the person charges. So I blame these new promoters for auto signing too. Crooks.
I could go on, but this topic just pisses me off.
and to think I could have a nice Ruth Bader Ginsburg signed Chambers Card and other items very easy ttm if people weren’t selling her autograph in the first place. Also wouldn’t be super expensive right now either…same with other personalities that used to sign ttm then quit due to sellers.
Fingers crossed Clarence Thomas continues to sign ttm. I worry that he may quit when they see these few dealers selling dozens of them a month. I noticed they had a Breyer too.
I wonder if those people are pulling the same scam that Neil Armstrong discovered - people would write claiming they were teachers and asked for dozens of uninscribed photos for their students.
Definitely possible with all the different Thomas photos I see - none personalized. The Breyer ones appears to be only one or two per a seller but still enough to raise alarm. I am thinking Breyer might only sign one photo/item per request and return rest unsigned. Thomas appears to sign them all. Bunch of celebrities too they are selling - some have a lot more than others so I am thinking the celebrities that sign multiples have the most and those that do a one autograph per request might have other tricks such as using alternative addresses. Also NONE of these autographs are personalized so that makes me think less than truthful letters of requests.
A side thought - if they sent Breyer multiple photos and he only signed one and returned rest unsigned makes me wonder if perhaps they tried those unsigned photos again not realizing they get irradiated (a SECOND ZAP
) with different address. But since photo(s) probably didn’t survive the second zap they never got to see it and probably just got thrown away when Breyer received it. Just a random thought I had.
Looks like someone just paid/bid $30 for an easy ttm autograph they themselves could had gotten - a 4x6 signed photo of Clarence Thomas. Guess many people still aren’t aware of ttm collecting.
I just did a search on eBay for Ruth Bader Ginsburg signed Chambers Cards. There are about ten available for sale, all Buy It Now. Most of them would be rejects for me due to them having authentication stickers on them but what strikes me is that they are all still very expensive. The cheapest one was $1850. The most expensive was $6000. The average price would probably be about $2500. I looked in completed auctions and found only two sold Chambers Cards for RBG. One that sold for $1850 (same seller as the one currently for sale, they must have a few but unfortunately they get their autographs stickered) and the other one sold for under $2500 (a best offer was accepted so I assume it probably sold for $2200-$2300). There were a few other RBG signed items including a FDC and a letter, both sold for around $1000-$1100 each.
This has been the trend since I started looking for one a year and a half ago. All RBG autographs are listed as Buy It Now and all usually at minimum $1000 for non Chambers Cards and minimum $2000 for Chambers Cards. Might have to bite the bullet and spend this kind of money to get one.
I wish someone here or on other autograph forums had a ttm they could sell or trade me for a more agreeable price. I have decided to be more open to trading some of the autographs in my personal collection to get an RBG signed Chambers Card. Problem is I don’t think anyone even has one despite seeing four different ones scanned on one autograph forum’s database. I am guessing those members are no longer around, no longer have them or simply reuse to trade them.
Anyway, just wanted to vent.
I suspect that one or more dealers bought all these up and they are cornering/setting the market.
I have my doubts that they are really worth that much. I think they are hoarding the available supply and are trying to keep prices high.
You'll need to find one being sold off by an original owner. I don't think RBG used an autopen so a Chambers Card or letter should be safe.
That was my thinking too. They bought them all up cheap (they are those snipers that keep bidding until price gets too high for you) and now are trying to sell them for way more than they are actually worth (considering few have actually sold for those prices).
Even if a cheap one shows up they will put in a high bid like $1800 which is too much for a collector (and collector will usually give up at like $1100 anyway, so dealer gets it cheaper than their $1800 bid) but cheap enough for them to try to sell for $2500.
I also agree RBG didn’t use autopen. It’s mostly O’Connor I have to worry about with that, which is why I only want to buy a personalized O’Connor seeing as those are usually not autopen (as long as inscription looks like her handwriting).
A while back I saw this Ruth Bader Ginsburg signed FDC on eBay for a low starting bid (I think $20) so I tried to get it. I ended up bidding like $350 since I wasn’t 100% confident it was authentic (after all it wasn’t a Chambers Card or Supreme Court photo) and due to low opening bid I was cautious it might be a good forgery. Needless to say I got snipped and it went for like $375. Now I see it back on eBay slabbed and now priced at $1999 Buy It Now.
I'm afraid that's the way it is likely to go, at least for the foreseeable future.
I don't think those prices are possibly sustainable long-term, but they'll keep trying until the market comes to its senses.
That’s why I am hoping someone on one of the three autograph forums I visit has one available to trade. I decided to consider a few autographs I have in my personal collection to trade for one.
I normally don't like people sending out autograph requests for the purpose of selling them, but in your particular case maybe you could pursue a few quality TTM opportunities to build up an "inventory" to use for this trade. 🤔
This signed Warren Buffett business card sold for $7,900 on eBay last night.
What is the world is going on???
^What does he usually go for? That does seem pretty excessive.
He has crept up in recent years since he stopped signing TTM many years ago, and $1000 or even $1500 would not have surprised me. But $7900?!
I have three of these (but different design business card).
Wow, so that is a significant difference. But that's ebay for you. I've seen stuff like that happen before. I am sure the seller was very happy.
Steve Jobs is another one that is ridiculous. $5000 usually for Jobs so this one being nearly $3000 more shocks me and he’s not even deceased like Jobs.
I was just thinking about the Frank Abagnale autograph I sold during my big sell off in 2011. I got $500 for it. I was rather surprised so it got me thinking what is his autograph worth now? I figured it may had gone up in price since many autographs have but nope, one recently sold for $15 on eBay!
I wonder what Warren Buffet was worth in 2011.
Interesting how Warren Buffet is worth $8K and Frank Abagnale (I know he’s completely different from Buffet) only worth $15. Interesting how this is.
Sad. I currently see FIVE Clarence Thomas signed photos very likely obtained ttm for sale on eBay. There are a bunch of other older ttm signed items from him as well. These five I noticed are all from that 4x6 photo dealer. Watching them all to see what they end of bringing. A 4x6 Thomas signed photo brought about $30 last night.
Can’t believe someone just bought this for $50 Buy It Now considering he was/is any easy ttm AND this small 4x6 photo is clipped/damaged and NOT even authenticated.
For comparison an 8x10 signed photo of Clarence Thomas that was authenticated and not clipped sold for $119. Considering the price of authentication fees, I think the profit margin for the unauthenticated verses authenticated isn’t much different in THIS case. I know MOST of the time if something is authenticated it usually goes for so much more than the costs of getting it authenticated that it is well worth it.
And just an hour or so later the other clipped 4x6 Thomas photo sells for around $50!
Craziest thing is seller had a Best Offer option but nope, they just clicked Buy It Now without trying to get it for less.
Sorry for yet another update. That seller who just sold the two Clarence Thomas photos for $50 each just listed another FIVE with Buy It Now for that same $50 each (technically they are $47 but with $4 shipping it’s just over $50). It appears with one clipped in this batch and two from the other, he routinely sent/sends Thomas 3 photos per each request. Surprised people are buying these up. A Breyer 4x6 signed photo only brought $15.
I want your thoughts - how much would you personally pay for this if you wanted a Martin Luther King Jr. signature in your collection? I don’t want to overpay so I am curious what is DEFINITELY considered too much in your opinion? Ideally I would love to get it for like $2500 but I doubt that can happen due to recent price increases for many autographs.
IF I wanted him, I wouldn't pay more then $2,000 for an index card of his.
But looking at RR auctions, 2500 for an index card would be a steal itself, yikes.
I wish someone hadn't written the date so close to his name but it's not the end of the world. It's nice overall.
No idea on value. I am sure I wouldn't be in the league of what this could go for.
Yeah, not ideal. I also wish he had added “Jr.” to the signature.
Already over $2800 so I definitely won’t be bidding especially since it’s less than ideal.
I am absolutely amazed at some of the prices that some of the slabbed autographs RR Auction held brought tonight.
After the buyer’s premium an Elon Musk signed one dollar bill sold for $20,000
That has to be the most I ever heard of an autograph of a living person bringing.
Also interesting was a Steve Jobs handwritten and signed quote bringing around $25,000 after premium.
A Steve Jobs filled out one page job application brought nearly $200,000
The thing that bothers me about that particular piece is there is a piece of scotch tape at the top and instead of removing it during encapsulation they left it on. It wasn’t covering any text and would had been easy to remove but nope, they left it alone so decades from now there will be a brown stripe at the top of page.
Finally a neat rarity - a Mao Zedong signed postcard size photo. Brought about $250,000.
Wow!!! We picked a great hobby. Just the timing was wrong.
I found this Martin Luther King Jr. signed cut for auction. I am pretty certain it’s authentic but it’s less than ideal. However bidding starts very low so there is a chance I can get this for a price I can maybe afford.
What would you recommend? Would you bid on it at all or is it too undesirable at any price? I appreciate any advice or opinions.
Why do people cut things like this up?