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Is $20 the standard now for marginal retired players

metrothememetrotheme Posts: 548
in Trading Cards & Memorabilia Forum
I've been checking out pricing on a lot of autograph shows lately, especially the ones by MAB, and it seems now that you can't even get an autograph ticket for under $20? Is this what is really hot in the streets nowadays? What happened to the $5 / $8 / $10 tickets? Has inflation risen that much that the autograph ticket prices for alot of these guys has doubled, or has the demand actually gone down to a point where the promoters have to raise prices to break even? I remember going to the Brooklyn Dodger reunions 94/95 and most of the guys were $5 each, and someone like Duke Snider was $20. Now look at things. Only one player under $20 and he was practically a 1 yr WWII replacement player.

http://www.mab-celebrity.com/c-245-50-years-of-dodger-blue-april-19-20-2008.Aspx


Even with the Yankee shows they had, they were asking $20 for guys who pitched 30 innings total in MLB. Some of these shows I actually want to attend, but I can't justify dropping $100 to get 5 signatures of really marginal MLB'ers ...

Comments

  • gumbyfangumbyfan Posts: 5,168 ✭✭✭
    17 years ago I got Warren Spahn's signature for $20 at a show. Johnny Sain was at the show, too. If I remember correctly, the package price was $30 if you got both signatures!
  • theczartheczar Posts: 1,590 ✭✭
    17 years ago I got Warren Spahn's signature for $20 at a show. Johnny Sain was at the show, too. If I remember correctly, the package price was $30 if you got both signatures!

    I am not an autograph collector, but my dad was a big fan of Warren Spahn so I took him to a show in 1988 and we waited in line. My dad told him that he loved watching him pitch and had Mr. Spahn autograph of a photo of him portraying a German solider in an episode of Combat. He could not have been nicer. I think he would talked to my father for 10 minutes if there were not 50 people behind my dad in line.

    I used to root for Clemens to pass Spahn up for the most wins by a modern pitcher. I guess I backed the wrong horse there.
  • AllenAllen Posts: 7,165 ✭✭✭
    I traded The Mick a bottle of Johnnie Walker for a dozen autographs back in the day. Jim Brown would sign for a few beads for his hat. Those were the days.

    But seriously, I agree with you about this. I have been to the Robert Morris show in Pitt and I cannot believe how much they want for some of those autos. There are very few players I would pay for their signatures, Major Harris was at a show near Morgantown that I was set up at and his auto was $10. I thought that was pretty fair for him. Ahmad Bradshaw said he could get $10,000 for a two hour signing session in New York right now. So what are they gonna charge people? $50-$60 for flats? Crazy.
  • jrinckjrinck Posts: 1,321 ✭✭
    Just check the ads in SCD for the small-time shows. Sometimes the promotors get it and charge sub-$10 for "no names", but some promotors really like to amp up the hype and charge accordingly. Yes, I remember the name "Dave Rozema", but I also don't feel any particular need for his autograph, and certainly not for $30.

    If anything, some of those guys should be paying ME to receive their autographs, just so they can say somebody still knows who they are.
  • BobaFett72BobaFett72 Posts: 7,304
    At a local monthly show the promoter would get Red Sox players... or one hit wonders...FREE Autographs, one per person! Folks like Bill Lee, Luis Tiant and Mark Fydrich. The show always had a great turnout (Riverside Restaraunt in Middleboro Mass)

    I promoted on autograph show with Phillies HOF Robin Roberts, his appearance fee was $4,000 and he signed for 3 hours. We also arranged for a pickup at the airport.

    I charged $6 for flat items, $7 for baseballs/Bats
    If memory serves me right, 380 people got auto's

    $2.00 admission at the door. Nearly 1000 people attended; I Rented 75 tables at $40 each (or 2 for 70)

    After expenses and promotions I think I cleared a grand. It was a LOT of work, but quite an experience.
  • stownstown Posts: 11,321 ✭✭✭
    Heck, I remember when most of the marginals were free and the local star was never more than $10.

    I'll never forget when Bench and Jackson charged $50, I was absolutely floored.

    At the last Tri-Star show, about 75% of the NFL HOFers were charging $20. The most expensive exceptions were Csonka ($100) and Jim Brown ($100 - $150).

    And to put things further into perspective, at last year's July(?) show, Hunter Pence was signing for $25, regardless of item. This past show, $50 regular, $100 premium, and $20 inscription.

    You can blame the greedy promoters, athletes, or people that flip autographs on eBay.

    Which came first? The chicken or the egg?

    All I know is the person who purchases an autograph directly from the player, only for themselves and with zero intent to sell, gets screwed in the end.
    So basically my kid won't be able to go to college, but at least I'll have a set where the three most expensive cards are of a player I despise ~ CDsNuts
  • sagardsagard Posts: 1,900 ✭✭✭
    As a kid I was appalled when Hank Aaron charged $5-10 at the fairgrounds show in Minnesota.
  • plifterplifter Posts: 361


    << <i>All I know is the person who purchases an autograph directly from the player, only for themselves and with zero intent to sell, gets screwed in the end. >>



    I fit in this demographic category. I would only sell my autographs (and cards) if I was in serious financial trouble. I agree that the prices are way too high but I still pay it if it's a player that I really want. I'm driving 7 hours to Baltimore this weekend just because my childhood idol Reggie Jackson is going to be there. Since I'm driving that distance, I'm sure that I will end up buying some other autographs as well. Ernie Banks is on the schedule so I'm sure that I will get a signed ball from Mr. Cub.
  • metrothememetrotheme Posts: 548
    Banks is a perfect example. Has his fee jumped that much that he went from a 25 / 30 ticket to $100 in the past 10 years? As long as people pay, they'll get these fees. For every person that balks at it, you'll get another person to buy it because they want to get it before the next price increase, or they realize this person is getting older and they might not have a chance to get it again.

    Whomever said earlier that a promoter wanted $30 for Dave Rozema is LAUGHABLE!

    Early in the fall, I went to Bobby Shantz field dedication ceremony and some of his old teammates were in town (ALL OVER 80!) to help him celebrate and these men signed everything put in front of them for a good 30 minutes in the dugout of the HS field and then for about another 30 minutes in the cafeteria for FREE. Gus Zernial, Virgil Trucks (who is 90!), Spook Jacobs, Carl Scheib, Lou Brissie (who walks with 2 leg crutches from his WW2 accident), Mickey Vernon (who is 89), Ned Garver and Bobby Shantz himself! I think they a show the next day to promote their books (quite a few of them have books out) and it was like $8 per autograph and they had a deal if you got everyone who was there.

    These men were happy to be there and quite a few of them would say "I'd be proud to sign your item". I don't really blame the players because like someone mentioned earlier, they have their fee and then it's up to the promoter to set the price.
  • plifterplifter Posts: 361
    Metro, I think the older guys sincerely enjoy the attention. I went to a show in St. Petersburg, FL and Monte Irvin was there. The cost was $8 per sig. Monte was very pleasant to everyone and he would chat with people. He was sharing stories about playing with Willie Mays, shaking everyone's hand, and he just seemed to really be having a good time.
  • SidePocketSidePocket Posts: 2,901 ✭✭✭
    The marginal player will only get $20 for his autograph if you're willing to pay it. That won't ever be a problem for me.

    "Molon Labe"

  • NickMNickM Posts: 4,895 ✭✭✭
    The most I've ever paid for an in-person auto was $25, for Fred Lynn. The only reason I paid that much was that he was signing at a local card show, and I had a game-used bat of his that I wanted signed. The second-most I've ever paid was $17, for Warren Spahn at the 2000 National (regular price was $20, but you got a 15% discount on autograph prices if you had purchased the VIP admission package). IMO the prices asked for autographs at shows have become ridiculous in relation to the actual market value of autographed items - especially when manufacturer-certified autographed cards of quite a few HOFers regularly end up below $10 (just off the top of my head, I've gotten Niekro, Snider, Doby, Wilhelm, Cepeda, Aparicio, Doerr, Kell, Fingers, Weaver, Youngblood, Bossy, and Joiner each under $10 - with several of those being under $5). Paluso lithos of dead HOFers (signed by the artist and player) often end up under $30 including shipping - and these are much nicer pieces than a new baseball.

    Nick
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    Reap the whirlwind.

    Need to buy something for the wife or girlfriend? Check out Vintage Designer Clothing.
  • RoarIn84RoarIn84 Posts: 859 ✭✭


    << <i>At a local monthly show the promoter would get Red Sox players... or one hit wonders...FREE Autographs, one per person! Folks like Bill Lee, Luis Tiant and Mark Fydrich. The show always had a great turnout (Riverside Restaraunt in Middleboro Mass)


    I'd love me some Mark 'The Bird' Fidrych auto! I was too young, but i have games of his on tape and he was a real treat to watch! too bad he went down the crapper, but he packed Tiger Stadium at a time where they were lucky to draw 10k fans.....

    i'd get this signed if i could!!!
    image
  • RoarIn84RoarIn84 Posts: 859 ✭✭
    what i never get is why they vary the prices depending on what you get signed......$30 for flat, $40 for ball, $60 for jersey. like they assume yr gonna sell it and they want in on the profits. anybody been to spring training camps recently? my dad would take me to some every year in the 80s and you could literally walk up to players and chat with them and hang outside the locker rooms to get autos. is it still like this? i got Barry Bonds before they even called him up. he looked at me, smiled and said 'do you even know who i am? i'm not even on the team!'
  • metrothememetrotheme Posts: 548
    Good point. For some items it takes more time to have them signed / presented, so maybe the extra charge is for that? Also alot of the promoters are dealers too and they can undercut the market if they force the paying public to pay higher prices for premium items.



    << <i>what i never get is why they vary the prices depending on what you get signed......$30 for flat, $40 for ball, $60 for jersey. like they assume yr gonna sell it and they want in on the profits. anybody been to spring training camps recently? my dad would take me to some every year in the 80s and you could literally walk up to players and chat with them and hang outside the locker rooms to get autos. is it still like this? i got Barry Bonds before they even called him up. he looked at me, smiled and said 'do you even know who i am? i'm not even on the team!' >>

  • stownstown Posts: 11,321 ✭✭✭


    << <i>what i never get is why they vary the prices depending on what you get signed......$30 for flat, $40 for ball, $60 for jersey. >>



    Because bats, artwork, jerseys, etc normally demand a premium in the secondary market.

    The athletes/promoters/agents saw this and adjusted their prices accordingly.
    So basically my kid won't be able to go to college, but at least I'll have a set where the three most expensive cards are of a player I despise ~ CDsNuts
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