@JMS1223 said:
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.
Well, you saw my Inger Stevens and how it was horribly matted and such. I ended up cutting the cheap magazine style board backing and inkjet print out photo and just have the partial mat with the autograph still attached.
But because of how it was done, I am pretty sure that is why I got her so cheap. IF I didn't bid on it, the previous bidder would have won her for $70, which is insanely cheap for any sig of her.
MLK is a different level then forgotten Inger. Do I like the cut out? No, but if I had set aside an X amount and I had a chance to get it cheap, like I did Inger, why not? Just ask around to make sure he's real. Those find of historical figures are way out of my wheelhouse.
It looks like it was originally a program signed by multiple people and they decided to cut each signature out individually and sell them that way since usually signatures sold individually bring more than one program signed by many people. Sad fate but that’s what I have heard.
@JMS1223 said:
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.
Well, you saw my Inger Stevens and how it was horribly matted and such. I ended up cutting the cheap magazine style board backing and inkjet print out photo and just have the partial mat with the autograph still attached.
But because of how it was done, I am pretty sure that is why I got her so cheap. IF I didn't bid on it, the previous bidder would have won her for $70, which is insanely cheap for any sig of her.
MLK is a different level then forgotten Inger. Do I like the cut out? No, but if I had set aside an X amount and I had a chance to get it cheap, like I did Inger, why not? Just ask around to make sure he's real. Those find of historical figures are way out of my wheelhouse.
The starting bid is just 99 cents so I am sure it will attract tons of bidders but since it’s less than ideal maybe I can get it under $2000. A really nice clean example usually costs like $5000+ so should I wait and save up for that or just go cheap and settle for this less than perfect cut signature? Hmm
I always found it interesting that Richard “Dick” Winters of Band of Brothers fame has a very inflated autograph price. I remember in 2010 he was going for $500 for just a signature. Just did a search in ended auctions and found one that sold for just over $500 (and not even an ideal piece).
To put into prospective Winters signature is worth more than many U.S. Presidents and almost as much as Neil Armstrong - all much more well known among the general public and similar to Armstrong just as hard to obtain ttm while he was living. What is interesting is that Winters is NOT very well known by name to the general public. They may have seen the miniseries but most probably don’t remember the names of the veterans portrayed. What is also interesting is ten years later Winters retained his inflated value. The other veterans bring quite a premium as well ($100 for some but $20ish for most on index cards).
So that gets me thinking are there any other autographs where the individual is NOT well known by name to the general public but their autograph is worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars?
@JMS1223 said:
So that gets me thinking are there any other autographs where the individual is NOT well known by name to the general public but their autograph is worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars?
That's crazy.
OH actress, Susan Peters, virtually unknown, Lukewarm popular in the 1940s, in 1945, Peters's spinal cord was damaged from an accidental gunshot wound, leaving her permanently paraplegic. But she returned to doing movies, in a wheelchair, which was rare to see in those days. I've been on the hunt for a real autograph of hers, they're fairly rare. The one on ebay, on a first day Envelope, is a fake But whenever a real one does surface, it goes for several hundred dollars.
She really qualifies as a paragraph footnote in hollywood.
Of course, 1980s acress, Rebecca Schaeffer, she goes for nearly $400, when real autographs appear, maybe $200 for index cards. The way she died is what put her in history, but people my age, form the 80s, know her, but for the most part, she's not a household name by any means and many my age forget about her unless the topic comes up.
It's interesting how some autographs go for 3 to 4 figure$, and very historical figures can just go for $40 or less. You can get real Mary Pickfords for $50-$100, on album pages, all day long, and shes very historical.
@JMS1223 said:
So that gets me thinking are there any other autographs where the individual is NOT well known by name to the general public but their autograph is worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars?
That's crazy.
OH actress, Susan Peters, virtually unknown, Lukewarm popular in the 1940s, in 1945, Peters's spinal cord was damaged from an accidental gunshot wound, leaving her permanently paraplegic. But she returned to doing movies, in a wheelchair, which was rare to see in those days. I've been on the hunt for a real autograph of hers, they're fairly rare. The one on ebay, on a first day Envelope, is a fake But whenever a real one does surface, it goes for several hundred dollars.
She really qualifies as a paragraph footnote in hollywood.
Of course, 1980s acress, Rebecca Schaeffer, she goes for nearly $400, when real autographs appear, maybe $200 for index cards. The way she died is what put her in history, but people my age, form the 80s, know her, but for the most part, she's not a household name by any means and many my age forget about her unless the topic comes up.
It's interesting how some autographs go for 3 to 4 figure$, and very historical figures can just go for $40 or less. You can get real Mary Pickfords for $50-$100, on album pages, all day long, and shes very historical.
I have heard of Rebecca Schaeffer but I am sure if I asked younger people they probably haven’t heard of her so I agree that’s probably a good example.
The Susan Peters is an even better example because I have NOT heard of her and surprised to hear she brings so much. I don’t believe she’s in any movie such as The Wizard of Oz where one tries to collect ALL the stars in it (sometimes that explains why some unknown stars bring a lot). But tragedy definitely intrigues people so if she had a strange or tragic death that would do it.
Susan starved herself to death at the age of 31. She had a kidney infection, a complication caused by her paralysis, and bronchial pneumonia, so she rushed her death. But many OH actors/actresses have some tragedy, so why her? Don't know.
Back when "Saving Private Ryan" came out I listed on ebay an index card signed by Major John Howard. He was the British military officer who led the unit that flew gliders into Normandy hours before the D-Day landing so they could secure Pegasus Bridge, which was a critical crossing point for the invasion forces to continue into France.
Major Howard wasn't unknown in the UK, but he was hardly a household name, especially in the US. Still, bidding pushed up over $200.
I doubt that value held, but it was a shock to me at the time.
@JBK said:
Back when "Saving Private Ryan" came out I listed on ebay an index card signed by Major John Howard. He was the British military officer who led the unit that flew gliders into Normandy hours before the D-Day landing so they could secure Pegasus Bridge, which was a critical crossing point for the invasion forces to continue into France.
Major Howard wasn't unknown in the UK, but he was hardly a household name, especially in the US. Still, bidding pushed up over $200.
I doubt that value held, but it was a shock to me at the time.
I had a similar thing happen ten years ago when I listed on eBay signed FDCs of the Bailey children from It’s A Wonderful Life. The most famous one, Karolyn Grimes, sold for the least at $10 but the other two I had, Carol Coombs and Jimmy Hawkins (I never could get Larry Simms), brought like $60-$75 each. I was shocked because all the other autographs I had of much more famous stars like Lauren Bacall were failing to sell for even $10.
Just did a quick search and found that Major John Howard autographs only bring about $15 nowadays so selling him for $200+ when you did was excellent timing.
I also found Carol Coombs now only brings about $15 and Jimmy Hawkins $20 so I had good timing too.
Even better, when my John Howard index card sold for a little over $200, I upgraded the winner to an autographed postcard and sold the index card to the 2nd highest bidder for just under $200.
@JMS1223 said:
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.
Turns out this one sold for $3800. A much nicer and large very clean non-personalized Martin Luther King Jr. signature sold for under $10,000 on RRAuction a few days ago (oddly it’s no longer visible in their ended auctions results so I can’t remember the exact price or share an image of it). I do remember it sold for less than the personalized slabbed one they sold earlier this year which surprised me because this one looked way better and wasn’t personalized. It was as large as a full sheet of paper and came with excellent provenance.
People really do like cut autographs as long as they are slabbed it seems.
This very easy ttm autograph in cut form brought $45 on eBay last night!
To put things in perspective you can get a nice 6x9 signed photo from Thomas for free ttm, but if you decide you just get it off eBay they go for LESS than that slabbed cut. So lesson here is if you have a cut autograph get it slabbed.
Past few years, some Dana Plato cut autographs have sold for over $200-$400 and 2 were in the trading card world I didn't know about. I really don't get the cut autograph thing. You can buy a whole cast signature from Different Strokes for $350 on average, they signed like 600 photos for a charity in Florida in the late 90s, so they're not rare.
And she isn't either, she signed napkins, index cards, even few cut cardboard box pieces have been shared by fans. Anything for booze at the Vegas bar she hung out at.
Maybe I should chop up all my books and letters into little slips of paper and get them slabbed.
It looks like this Thomas cut came from one of his 6x9 signed photos. I see a nice Thomas 6x9 photo on eBay right now (not slabbed) for Buy It Now $35 (LESS than this slabbed cut).
The only aspect of the autograph trading card market I like is the "Pop Century" and others that offer autographs. Some can be had much cheaper then their 8x10 cousins, and for the most part, you're not having to worry about them being fake or having ABC stickers attached to them. I even have many "Inkworks" signature cards from the 2000s I'd buy at the time.
But this cut stuff, I don't think I will ever buy even 1. I find it off-putting.
@bronzemat said:
The only aspect of the autograph trading card market I like is the "Pop Century" and others that offer autographs. Some can be had much cheaper then their 8x10 cousins, and for the most part, you're not having to worry about them being fake or having ABC stickers attached to them. I even have many "Inkworks" signature cards from the 2000s I'd buy at the time.
But this cut stuff, I don't think I will ever buy even 1. I find it off-putting.
I remember those Inkworks cards. I liked how you could usually get them fairly cheap back then. Not sure if they have since gone up.
@bronzemat said:
The only aspect of the autograph trading card market I like is the "Pop Century" and others that offer autographs. Some can be had much cheaper then their 8x10 cousins, and for the most part, you're not having to worry about them being fake or having ABC stickers attached to them. I even have many "Inkworks" signature cards from the 2000s I'd buy at the time.
But this cut stuff, I don't think I will ever buy even 1. I find it off-putting.
I remember those Inkworks cards. I liked how you could usually get them fairly cheap back then. Not sure if they have since gone up.
Oh yes, ones like Kristen Bell, Jessica Alba, Jen Garner, basically your a-listers are hundreds of dollars. I've seen early Natalie Portman sell at a $1,000.
In this crazy market who knows, but I personally would never touch one cut like that.
I suspect to the extent that anyone would but that slabbed thing, I suspect it's only because it's slabbed.
I'm still having a tough time accepting the premise that a trimmed or cut signature could ever be worth more than the original format. But, we have inexplicably seen it happen.
@JBK said:
In this crazy market who knows, but I personally would never touch one cut like that.
I suspect to the extent that anyone would but that slabbed thing, I suspect it's only because it's shabbed.
I'm still having a tough time accepting the premise that q trimmed or cut signature could ever be worth more than the original format. But, we have inexplicably seen it happen.
What I did instead is crop my main photo to show just Julie Andrews signature but you can still see the full page buyer will receive as another image. Maybe that will cause people to at least view my listing. I also changed the prices and removed Best Offer so now it’s just one price.
I want to buy a pretty obscure autograph. I prefer just a signature but there are only two signed items available and they are both signed books. A book is not exactly what I want but it seems that is a majority of what has been available. Going by WorthPoint, I found just one signature, one signed note, and four signed books - a total of 6 sold signed items over the past 15 years on eBay. Both books that are currently for sale are overpriced. According to eBay history, the signed books generally bring $68-$92 each. One seller is currently asking $204 for a personalized signed book. The other book (this one not personalized) is $225. I contacted both sellers and both said their best price was $200. Still way too much. I would be willing to pay $100 but even that is probably still overpaying.
I can continue to wait and hope another cheaper one comes along, and maybe if I am lucky a signature will become available but that seems doubtful. In the last year or two I have only seen these two books, both sitting on eBay for at least two years with these Buy It Now prices. I hate to buy an autograph like this for $200+ (considering shipping and tax) since I know if I ever were to resell it I would have a lot of trouble even finding a buyer, let alone getting what I paid for it back. I don’t plan on reselling but whenever I buy autographs now I always keep this thought/rule in mind so I don’t grossly overpay like I used to with my former collection. If I think I can’t ever resell for the price I paid then I know it’s way too much to spend. Especially when these particular items have been sitting for years. I wish sellers would knock down their prices more when things sit.
Found this Richard “Dick” Winters autograph while browsing ended items on eBay. I am aware a less than perfect condition signed 3x5 index card of his sold for $500 a few months ago so that puts things into perspective a bit. Well this signed photo has a few things that make it less than ideal…authentication sticker is a dealbreaker for me, and other collectors may also be bothered by the fact it’s personalized and it’s an ink jet printed photo! Yet this still brought $900! I believe a problem free signed 8x10 of Winters would be $2000.
Was browsing RRAuction and noticed Walt Disney autographs have definitely skyrocketed in the past few years. I used to own a bold beautifully signed fountain pen Walt Disney check. I paid just $1375 in 2005 for it. When I did my big sell off this was one of the last items I sold. In 2012 I sold it via Buy It Now on eBay for $1600 (before eBay fees). Prices then were around the $1500 range so I was happy, plus I made a little profit so all seemed well.
Fast forward to 2021. I noticed Disney autographed checks selling for way more than $1500. I saw some sold for $3000 and even $5000. These signed checks were just signed with ballpoint pen so not as nice as the one I owned. I figured the price might stay around there and not go up much since I knew most autographs skyrocketed due to new collecting interest during the pandemic.
I just saw a current auction for a Walt Disney signature on an album page (personalized too!) on RRAuction that ends in over a week is already bid up to over $4000! This does not even include their 25% premium.
So I decided to take a look at recently ended auction items. The most recent signed check (done with ballpoint, but framed up very nicely) brought $9000 a few months ago. The most recent unframed signed check brought $8000 in mid 2022! In 2021 one brought $5000 so obviously went up quite a bit in a year or two. Makes me think if only I held onto my Walt Disney check until now I could sell it and easily buy that Martin Luther King, Jr. signature I want.
Frederick Douglass seems to be an undervalued autograph considering his significance to American history. They go for around $700-$900 today on a signed document. I got curious how much they went for before the pandemic and I was surprised to find you could easily get one for under $400 in 2019! This seems cheap when you consider Rosa Parks goes for more than that today. Speaking of that Douglass’ autograph on a document ($700 on the low end) isn’t much more than a Rosa Parks’ signature ($500) today!
Another anomaly I noticed Abraham Lincoln verses Martin Luther King, Jr. Both were assassinated but Lincoln would seem more significant for many reason yet MLK Jr. autographs go for more than Lincoln’s on many occasions. 🤔
@JMS1223 said:
Another anomaly I noticed Abraham Lincoln verses Martin Luther King, Jr. Both were assassinated but Lincoln would seem more significant for many reason yet MLK Jr. autographs go for more than Lincoln’s on many occasions. 🤔
Isn't because Lincoln signed more documents, thanks to the war, than King Jr.? I remember an episode of Pawn Stars mentioning something like that, same with Antiques Roadshow.
@JMS1223 said:
Another anomaly I noticed Abraham Lincoln verses Martin Luther King, Jr. Both were assassinated but Lincoln would seem more significant for many reason yet MLK Jr. autographs go for more than Lincoln’s on many occasions. 🤔
Isn't because Lincoln signed more documents, thanks to the war, than King Jr.? I remember an episode of Pawn Stars mentioning something like that, same with Antiques Roadshow.
Definitely could be more Lincoln signatures out there due to that but I am still surprised MLK Jr. goes for more. I don’t think the quantity of Lincoln autographs is that much greater than the supply of MLK Jr autographs but maybe I’m wrong. But perhaps there are a LOT more out there.
I found this very interesting. There is this very trustworthy seller on eBay that sells tons of autographs and starts every auction at 99 cents. Usually the items go for market value or way more due to bidding wars but very rarely do they go for less than their usual worth. So they had a few Supreme Court Justice signed 6x9 official photos (Sototmayor being personalized) and I was surprised to learn they all went for under $20 each. I didn’t buy any as I didn’t need any of these for my collecting needs but definitely watched them all to see what they would bring. It would had been awesome if they had Harry Blackmun (the only Justice I am currently looking to buy).
This tells me their autographs are not really worth that much and the ones I usually see are all overpriced Buy It Nows getting people to think their autographs are worth a lot more. I am glad I didn’t make any impulse buys and pay like $100+ for one. Except last year, I actually did purchase a signed letter of Sototmayor for $150 (originally $200 until Best Offer was accepted) but as luck would have it the seller misplaced the letter and sale was cancelled. In retrospect I am glad I never bought that letter. Would had been very much overpaying for that after seeing her signed photo sold for under $20 and I routinely see her signed books under $20 and sometimes even $5! So a routine letter would probably be around $20 if they started it at 99 cents.
Funny how difficult it is to get these ttm yet not worth much money.
Correction: The Brennan signed photo did bring over $20 but the Brennan signed letter was under $20 so he could still be had for under $20 if I didn’t care about format.
@JBK said:
Anthony Kennedy was very tough to get (I was never able go get him). That price was a steal, assuming it wasn't autopen.
I thought they were all steals at these prices but definitely agree Kennedy is/was very tough ttm. I actually forgot to look at these minutes before closing since I assumed they would all bring at least $50 each. So when I looked at my ended watch items I was SHOCKED. The Brennan signed photo had over ten watchers so people knew about it.
This is the Boston area seller we are both familiar with so no autopen or fakes here.
This Obama/Springsteen signed Renegades book brought just $503 total (after premium was added) last night. A little over a year ago a similar signed copy sold for over $3000 I also saw several being around $900-$1300 in the first six months of 2022.
So glad I was able to recoup the money I spent on my first purchased signed Renegades book bought at $500 retail in December 2021 (I broke even but technically made $20 if you do the math). I bought my second signed Renegades for around $300 when they were selling them a month or so later at discounts from the original retail. So now I am glad I was able to unload the original purchase and have just the one that I am for $300. Doesn’t seem so bad.
Is it typical for brick and mortar dealers to require to see the autographed item in person (rather than just photos of it) before making an any kind of offer or general idea of price they would be willing to pay? This happened to me the other day so this is why I ask. (I don’t recall experiencing this with coin dealers. I can usually ask them what they typically pay for a 1909-S VDB cent in Very Fine condition, for example, and they often give me a price range without even seeing a picture of the coin).
Having a policy to not make offers without autographed item in hand can be at a disadvantage because sometimes I am at a show/event and see a dealer that buys autographs and think I could make money if I learned what this dealer would pay me for autograph I found (be it found online, I have it at home and didn’t bring it due to not anticipating seeing this dealer or a friend has one etc.). It would help out the dealer because he gets inventory and it helps me out by either making money or unloading an unwanted autograph. I am more than happy to provide photos to get an idea on price or even if he wants it. If he’s interested and I think his price is in the right ball park then I know it’s worth the trouble of taking a second trip out to this dealer to bring (or buy) item to sell him.
Sometimes I find deals/bargains on eBay and some of these autographs wouldn’t be ones I necessarily want for my own collection but know they are a great price considering what they usually bring. I know if I bought it and resold it I could definitely make some money. Much of the time I don’t bother buying the deal since I often doubt authenticity but sometimes I KNOW it’s authentic due to nature of signed item (signed check for example). This is when I wonder if I could easily sell it to dealer in person but if he must see it in person before he can say his price then I am taking a chance he might not want it at all and I become stuck with the item. eBay is super annoying for selling and if I sell more than $600 worth in a year I have an added headache of dealing with extra tax form.
So maybe I should just not chase after deals unless it’s something I want in my own collection?
On the one hand, there are so many variables that I can understand the reluctance to make an offer sight unseen.
However, I have to wonder if this policy is partly to generate "impulse sales". Once the potential seller brings the stuff to the dealer, there might be more incentive or pressure for the person to just sell on the spot. Or, the dealer may make an offer or negotiate differently with different people.
I do know that I'd never lug my stuff to a dealer for an offer without at least some idea of price range.
@JBK said:
However, I have to wonder if this policy is partly to generate "impulse sales". Once the potential seller brings the stuff to the dealer, there might be more incentive or pressure for the person to just sell on the spot. Or, the dealer may make an offer or negotiate differently with different people.
I just found and discovered something extremely interesting. A month or so ago I sold a Barack Obama signature (removed from Renegades book) on eBay for $350 (I got about $300 after fees). The buyer told me after they purchased it that they planned to send it to Beckett for authentication. I knew it would pass so I wasn’t worried about that.
Today I was browsing eBay ended items and to my total surprise the exact person that purchased the Barack Obama signature from me resold it. They started it at 99 cents auction format and no reserve. The bidders bid it up to just $250. That surprised me because it was $100 LESS than what he paid. He even had partial Beckett authentication to help IMPROVE the sale. So they did send it to Beckett BUT for a Quick Opinion which said “Likely to pass Full Authentication.” These Quick Opinions only cost $10. I thought this method was clever so you have authentication to help sell it but didn’t have to go through the whole expensive and time consuming process. I will keep this in mind next time I have an autograph I need to sell that needs authentication.
@bronzemat said:
I don't sign autographs, but here is my autograph.
Charles Liteky, a Medal of Honor recipient and the only one to ever return his medal and renounce the benefits that come with it, was famous for doing this.
He would decline all autograph requesrs but sign the letter or note.
@bronzemat said:
I don't sign autographs, but here is my autograph.
Charles Liteky, a Medal of Honor recipient and the only one to ever return his medal and renounce the benefits that come with it, was famous for doing this.
He would decline all autograph requesrs but sign the letter or note.
There is many to did that. I always found it amusing.
Comments
Well, you saw my Inger Stevens and how it was horribly matted and such. I ended up cutting the cheap magazine style board backing and inkjet print out photo and just have the partial mat with the autograph still attached.
But because of how it was done, I am pretty sure that is why I got her so cheap. IF I didn't bid on it, the previous bidder would have won her for $70, which is insanely cheap for any sig of her.
MLK is a different level then forgotten Inger. Do I like the cut out? No, but if I had set aside an X amount and I had a chance to get it cheap, like I did Inger, why not? Just ask around to make sure he's real. Those find of historical figures are way out of my wheelhouse.
It looks like it was originally a program signed by multiple people and they decided to cut each signature out individually and sell them that way since usually signatures sold individually bring more than one program signed by many people. Sad fate but that’s what I have heard.
The starting bid is just 99 cents so I am sure it will attract tons of bidders but since it’s less than ideal maybe I can get it under $2000. A really nice clean example usually costs like $5000+ so should I wait and save up for that or just go cheap and settle for this less than perfect cut signature? Hmm
If it were really cheap I'd buy it, but if you are going to spend real money I'd focus on one you'd be happy with.
Will you ever really be happy with this one?
Exactly. Maybe my max should be $500 since that would seem really cheap.
Looks like it’s already over $2000 now so that answers my dilemma. Will be interesting to see what it ends up bringing.
That surprises me, but again, cut autographs seem to be a trend, so I guess it shouldn't.
I always found it interesting that Richard “Dick” Winters of Band of Brothers fame has a very inflated autograph price. I remember in 2010 he was going for $500 for just a signature. Just did a search in ended auctions and found one that sold for just over $500 (and not even an ideal piece).
To put into prospective Winters signature is worth more than many U.S. Presidents and almost as much as Neil Armstrong - all much more well known among the general public and similar to Armstrong just as hard to obtain ttm while he was living. What is interesting is that Winters is NOT very well known by name to the general public. They may have seen the miniseries but most probably don’t remember the names of the veterans portrayed. What is also interesting is ten years later Winters retained his inflated value. The other veterans bring quite a premium as well ($100 for some but $20ish for most on index cards).
So that gets me thinking are there any other autographs where the individual is NOT well known by name to the general public but their autograph is worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars?
That's crazy.
OH actress, Susan Peters, virtually unknown, Lukewarm popular in the 1940s, in 1945, Peters's spinal cord was damaged from an accidental gunshot wound, leaving her permanently paraplegic. But she returned to doing movies, in a wheelchair, which was rare to see in those days. I've been on the hunt for a real autograph of hers, they're fairly rare. The one on ebay, on a first day Envelope, is a fake
But whenever a real one does surface, it goes for several hundred dollars.
She really qualifies as a paragraph footnote in hollywood.
Of course, 1980s acress, Rebecca Schaeffer, she goes for nearly $400, when real autographs appear, maybe $200 for index cards. The way she died is what put her in history, but people my age, form the 80s, know her, but for the most part, she's not a household name by any means and many my age forget about her unless the topic comes up.
It's interesting how some autographs go for 3 to 4 figure$, and very historical figures can just go for $40 or less. You can get real Mary Pickfords for $50-$100, on album pages, all day long, and shes very historical.
I have heard of Rebecca Schaeffer but I am sure if I asked younger people they probably haven’t heard of her so I agree that’s probably a good example.
The Susan Peters is an even better example because I have NOT heard of her and surprised to hear she brings so much. I don’t believe she’s in any movie such as The Wizard of Oz where one tries to collect ALL the stars in it (sometimes that explains why some unknown stars bring a lot). But tragedy definitely intrigues people so if she had a strange or tragic death that would do it.
Susan starved herself to death at the age of 31. She had a kidney infection, a complication caused by her paralysis, and bronchial pneumonia, so she rushed her death. But many OH actors/actresses have some tragedy, so why her? Don't know.
Back when "Saving Private Ryan" came out I listed on ebay an index card signed by Major John Howard. He was the British military officer who led the unit that flew gliders into Normandy hours before the D-Day landing so they could secure Pegasus Bridge, which was a critical crossing point for the invasion forces to continue into France.
Major Howard wasn't unknown in the UK, but he was hardly a household name, especially in the US. Still, bidding pushed up over $200.
I doubt that value held, but it was a shock to me at the time.
I had a similar thing happen ten years ago when I listed on eBay signed FDCs of the Bailey children from It’s A Wonderful Life. The most famous one, Karolyn Grimes, sold for the least at $10 but the other two I had, Carol Coombs and Jimmy Hawkins (I never could get Larry Simms), brought like $60-$75 each. I was shocked because all the other autographs I had of much more famous stars like Lauren Bacall were failing to sell for even $10.
Just did a quick search and found that Major John Howard autographs only bring about $15 nowadays so selling him for $200+ when you did was excellent timing.
I also found Carol Coombs now only brings about $15 and Jimmy Hawkins $20 so I had good timing too.
Even better, when my John Howard index card sold for a little over $200, I upgraded the winner to an autographed postcard and sold the index card to the 2nd highest bidder for just under $200.
Turns out this one sold for $3800. A much nicer and large very clean non-personalized Martin Luther King Jr. signature sold for under $10,000 on RRAuction a few days ago (oddly it’s no longer visible in their ended auctions results so I can’t remember the exact price or share an image of it). I do remember it sold for less than the personalized slabbed one they sold earlier this year which surprised me because this one looked way better and wasn’t personalized. It was as large as a full sheet of paper and came with excellent provenance.
People really do like cut autographs as long as they are slabbed it seems.
This very easy ttm autograph in cut form brought $45 on eBay last night!
To put things in perspective you can get a nice 6x9 signed photo from Thomas for free ttm, but if you decide you just get it off eBay they go for LESS than that slabbed cut. So lesson here is if you have a cut autograph get it slabbed.
Past few years, some Dana Plato cut autographs have sold for over $200-$400 and 2 were in the trading card world I didn't know about. I really don't get the cut autograph thing. You can buy a whole cast signature from Different Strokes for $350 on average, they signed like 600 photos for a charity in Florida in the late 90s, so they're not rare.
And she isn't either, she signed napkins, index cards, even few cut cardboard box pieces have been shared by fans. Anything for booze at the Vegas bar she hung out at.
I have to believe these absurd scenarios are being driven by inexperienced collectors. I can't see this phenomenon continuing forever.
Maybe I should chop up all my books and letters into little slips of paper and get them slabbed.
It looks like this Thomas cut came from one of his 6x9 signed photos. I see a nice Thomas 6x9 photo on eBay right now (not slabbed) for Buy It Now $35 (LESS than this slabbed cut).
The only aspect of the autograph trading card market I like is the "Pop Century" and others that offer autographs. Some can be had much cheaper then their 8x10 cousins, and for the most part, you're not having to worry about them being fake or having ABC stickers attached to them. I even have many "Inkworks" signature cards from the 2000s I'd buy at the time.
But this cut stuff, I don't think I will ever buy even 1. I find it off-putting.
I remember those Inkworks cards. I liked how you could usually get them fairly cheap back then. Not sure if they have since gone up.
Oh yes, ones like Kristen Bell, Jessica Alba, Jen Garner, basically your a-listers are hundreds of dollars. I've seen early Natalie Portman sell at a $1,000.
Do you think if I cut down my Julie Andrews signed book page down to this that it might sell better?
Or just leave it like it is as seen below?
In this crazy market who knows, but I personally would never touch one cut like that.
I suspect to the extent that anyone would but that slabbed thing, I suspect it's only because it's slabbed.
I'm still having a tough time accepting the premise that a trimmed or cut signature could ever be worth more than the original format. But, we have inexplicably seen it happen.
What I did instead is crop my main photo to show just Julie Andrews signature but you can still see the full page buyer will receive as another image. Maybe that will cause people to at least view my listing. I also changed the prices and removed Best Offer so now it’s just one price.
I want to buy a pretty obscure autograph. I prefer just a signature but there are only two signed items available and they are both signed books. A book is not exactly what I want but it seems that is a majority of what has been available. Going by WorthPoint, I found just one signature, one signed note, and four signed books - a total of 6 sold signed items over the past 15 years on eBay. Both books that are currently for sale are overpriced. According to eBay history, the signed books generally bring $68-$92 each. One seller is currently asking $204 for a personalized signed book. The other book (this one not personalized) is $225. I contacted both sellers and both said their best price was $200. Still way too much.
I would be willing to pay $100 but even that is probably still overpaying.
I can continue to wait and hope another cheaper one comes along, and maybe if I am lucky a signature will become available but that seems doubtful. In the last year or two I have only seen these two books, both sitting on eBay for at least two years with these Buy It Now prices. I hate to buy an autograph like this for $200+ (considering shipping and tax) since I know if I ever were to resell it I would have a lot of trouble even finding a buyer, let alone getting what I paid for it back. I don’t plan on reselling but whenever I buy autographs now I always keep this thought/rule in mind so I don’t grossly overpay like I used to with my former collection. If I think I can’t ever resell for the price I paid then I know it’s way too much to spend. Especially when these particular items have been sitting for years. I wish sellers would knock down their prices more when things sit.
Found this Richard “Dick” Winters autograph while browsing ended items on eBay. I am aware a less than perfect condition signed 3x5 index card of his sold for $500 a few months ago so that puts things into perspective a bit. Well this signed photo has a few things that make it less than ideal…authentication sticker is a dealbreaker for me, and other collectors may also be bothered by the fact it’s personalized and it’s an ink jet printed photo! Yet this still brought $900! I believe a problem free signed 8x10 of Winters would be $2000.
Was browsing RRAuction and noticed Walt Disney autographs have definitely skyrocketed in the past few years. I used to own a bold beautifully signed fountain pen Walt Disney check. I paid just $1375 in 2005 for it. When I did my big sell off this was one of the last items I sold. In 2012 I sold it via Buy It Now on eBay for $1600 (before eBay fees). Prices then were around the $1500 range so I was happy, plus I made a little profit so all seemed well.
Fast forward to 2021. I noticed Disney autographed checks selling for way more than $1500. I saw some sold for $3000 and even $5000. These signed checks were just signed with ballpoint pen so not as nice as the one I owned. I figured the price might stay around there and not go up much since I knew most autographs skyrocketed due to new collecting interest during the pandemic.
I just saw a current auction for a Walt Disney signature on an album page (personalized too!) on RRAuction that ends in over a week is already bid up to over $4000! This does not even include their 25% premium.
So I decided to take a look at recently ended auction items. The most recent signed check (done with ballpoint, but framed up very nicely) brought $9000 a few months ago.
The most recent unframed signed check brought $8000 in mid 2022! In 2021 one brought $5000 so obviously went up quite a bit in a year or two. Makes me think if only I held onto my Walt Disney check until now I could sell it and easily buy that Martin Luther King, Jr. signature I want.
I was wondering about something.
Frederick Douglass seems to be an undervalued autograph considering his significance to American history. They go for around $700-$900 today on a signed document. I got curious how much they went for before the pandemic and I was surprised to find you could easily get one for under $400 in 2019! This seems cheap when you consider Rosa Parks goes for more than that today. Speaking of that Douglass’ autograph on a document ($700 on the low end) isn’t much more than a Rosa Parks’ signature ($500) today!
Another anomaly I noticed Abraham Lincoln verses Martin Luther King, Jr. Both were assassinated but Lincoln would seem more significant for many reason yet MLK Jr. autographs go for more than Lincoln’s on many occasions. 🤔
Isn't because Lincoln signed more documents, thanks to the war, than King Jr.? I remember an episode of Pawn Stars mentioning something like that, same with Antiques Roadshow.
Definitely could be more Lincoln signatures out there due to that but I am still surprised MLK Jr. goes for more. I don’t think the quantity of Lincoln autographs is that much greater than the supply of MLK Jr autographs but maybe I’m wrong. But perhaps there are a LOT more out there.
I found this very interesting. There is this very trustworthy seller on eBay that sells tons of autographs and starts every auction at 99 cents. Usually the items go for market value or way more due to bidding wars but very rarely do they go for less than their usual worth. So they had a few Supreme Court Justice signed 6x9 official photos (Sototmayor being personalized) and I was surprised to learn they all went for under $20 each. I didn’t buy any as I didn’t need any of these for my collecting needs but definitely watched them all to see what they would bring. It would had been awesome if they had Harry Blackmun (the only Justice I am currently looking to buy).
This tells me their autographs are not really worth that much and the ones I usually see are all overpriced Buy It Nows getting people to think their autographs are worth a lot more. I am glad I didn’t make any impulse buys and pay like $100+ for one. Except last year, I actually did purchase a signed letter of Sototmayor for $150 (originally $200 until Best Offer was accepted) but as luck would have it the seller misplaced the letter and sale was cancelled. In retrospect I am glad I never bought that letter. Would had been very much overpaying for that after seeing her signed photo sold for under $20 and I routinely see her signed books under $20 and sometimes even $5! So a routine letter would probably be around $20 if they started it at 99 cents.
Funny how difficult it is to get these ttm yet not worth much money.
Correction: The Brennan signed photo did bring over $20 but the Brennan signed letter was under $20 so he could still be had for under $20 if I didn’t care about format.
Anthony Kennedy was very tough to get (I was never able go get him). That price was a steal, assuming it wasn't autopen.
I thought they were all steals at these prices but definitely agree Kennedy is/was very tough ttm. I actually forgot to look at these minutes before closing since I assumed they would all bring at least $50 each. So when I looked at my ended watch items I was SHOCKED. The Brennan signed photo had over ten watchers so people knew about it.
This is the Boston area seller we are both familiar with so no autopen or fakes here.
This Obama/Springsteen signed Renegades book brought just $503 total (after premium was added) last night. A little over a year ago a similar signed copy sold for over $3000
I also saw several being around $900-$1300 in the first six months of 2022.
So glad I was able to recoup the money I spent on my first purchased signed Renegades book bought at $500 retail in December 2021 (I broke even but technically made $20 if you do the math). I bought my second signed Renegades for around $300 when they were selling them a month or so later at discounts from the original retail. So now I am glad I was able to unload the original purchase and have just the one that I am for $300. Doesn’t seem so bad.
Something I have been curious about…
Is it typical for brick and mortar dealers to require to see the autographed item in person (rather than just photos of it) before making an any kind of offer or general idea of price they would be willing to pay? This happened to me the other day so this is why I ask. (I don’t recall experiencing this with coin dealers. I can usually ask them what they typically pay for a 1909-S VDB cent in Very Fine condition, for example, and they often give me a price range without even seeing a picture of the coin).
Having a policy to not make offers without autographed item in hand can be at a disadvantage because sometimes I am at a show/event and see a dealer that buys autographs and think I could make money if I learned what this dealer would pay me for autograph I found (be it found online, I have it at home and didn’t bring it due to not anticipating seeing this dealer or a friend has one etc.). It would help out the dealer because he gets inventory and it helps me out by either making money or unloading an unwanted autograph. I am more than happy to provide photos to get an idea on price or even if he wants it. If he’s interested and I think his price is in the right ball park then I know it’s worth the trouble of taking a second trip out to this dealer to bring (or buy) item to sell him.
Sometimes I find deals/bargains on eBay and some of these autographs wouldn’t be ones I necessarily want for my own collection but know they are a great price considering what they usually bring. I know if I bought it and resold it I could definitely make some money. Much of the time I don’t bother buying the deal since I often doubt authenticity but sometimes I KNOW it’s authentic due to nature of signed item (signed check for example). This is when I wonder if I could easily sell it to dealer in person but if he must see it in person before he can say his price then I am taking a chance he might not want it at all and I become stuck with the item. eBay is super annoying for selling and if I sell more than $600 worth in a year I have an added headache of dealing with extra tax form.
So maybe I should just not chase after deals unless it’s something I want in my own collection?
Good question.
On the one hand, there are so many variables that I can understand the reluctance to make an offer sight unseen.
However, I have to wonder if this policy is partly to generate "impulse sales". Once the potential seller brings the stuff to the dealer, there might be more incentive or pressure for the person to just sell on the spot. Or, the dealer may make an offer or negotiate differently with different people.
I do know that I'd never lug my stuff to a dealer for an offer without at least some idea of price range.
Maybe this.
I just found and discovered something extremely interesting. A month or so ago I sold a Barack Obama signature (removed from Renegades book) on eBay for $350 (I got about $300 after fees). The buyer told me after they purchased it that they planned to send it to Beckett for authentication. I knew it would pass so I wasn’t worried about that.
Today I was browsing eBay ended items and to my total surprise the exact person that purchased the Barack Obama signature from me resold it. They started it at 99 cents auction format and no reserve. The bidders bid it up to just $250. That surprised me because it was $100 LESS than what he paid. He even had partial Beckett authentication to help IMPROVE the sale. So they did send it to Beckett BUT for a Quick Opinion which said “Likely to pass Full Authentication.” These Quick Opinions only cost $10. I thought this method was clever so you have authentication to help sell it but didn’t have to go through the whole expensive and time consuming process. I will keep this in mind next time I have an autograph I need to sell that needs authentication.
I think that some (all?) TPAs say that the Quick Opinions are not ti be used to sell an item as authentic...
Oh that’s good to know then. I had never seen this done before and that could be why.
Can you believe that this Steve Jobs signed letter sold for nearly a half million dollars?
I don't sign autographs, but here is my autograph.
Charles Liteky, a Medal of Honor recipient and the only one to ever return his medal and renounce the benefits that come with it, was famous for doing this.
He would decline all autograph requesrs but sign the letter or note.
There is many to did that. I always found it amusing.