If you were famous how would you handle your signature?
MULLINS5
Posts: 4,517 ✭✭✭
Knowing what you know about collecting, if you were a famous athlete/celebrity how would you handle your signature? Would you charge for it the current market value? Sign anything and everything for anybody who approaches you? Sign quick, scribble-like or old-fashion/majestically?
How would you handle TTMs? Personalize the cards so that, in case, you have someone looking to make a buck won't be able to? Keep the cards? Not sign and return?
There's the collector side of me that would want to keep it limited by charging people what it's worth. But I don't think I could turn anybody down who asks for one.
How would you handle TTMs? Personalize the cards so that, in case, you have someone looking to make a buck won't be able to? Keep the cards? Not sign and return?
There's the collector side of me that would want to keep it limited by charging people what it's worth. But I don't think I could turn anybody down who asks for one.
0
Comments
collecting RAW Topps baseball cards 1952 Highs to 1972. looking for collector grade (somewhere between psa 4-7 condition). let me know what you have, I'll take it, I want to finish sets, I must have something you can use for trade.
looking for Topps 71-72 hi's-62-53-54-55-59, I have these sets started
I think I would never turn down a kid, no matter what. + I would never turn down a beautiful Woman. Basically I would be like Cal Ripken Jr. He would sign for hours after a game, and rarely turn anyone down.
I guess if someone sees me as someone worthy enough to even ask me for my autograph, then I feel obliged to give it.
As far as charging or how I would write it. I would never charge if I were making Ripken's $$$$, and I would keep my signature the same.
Paul.
Later, Paul.
I would think you do what you can within reason, focus on the kids, and for the adults, get to them when you can and want to, but keep it to ONE freebie. You can do more good through a charity, and spend less time worrying about how people view you.
<< <i>Kif you were a famous athlete/celebrity how would you handle your signature? >>
Whaddaya mean IF?
Hot chicks, kids, and those who paid would get a nice legible autograph. Everyone else would get a scribble.
As for in person walk ups I would only sign after games unless it was kid coming up.
And my sig would not change from today. You can read my first name perfectly. My last is a first letter and then a smudge of the rest crossed to a lower case "t"
CDsNuts, 1/9/15
<< <i>I wouldn't give one to you. >>
Come on. It's for my kid.
Through the mail:
1) Have something setup like the Nolan Ryan Foundation, where one could obtain my autograph for a donation to the Foundation which would be used as a conduit for a couple local charities that I help. The fee wouldn't be "cheap", but would be along the lines of what Nolan charges. I would list this address (which would probably be one of those charities)for myself on collecting message boards since I know where those boards are. I would visit the charity to sign the items no more then 3 times a year.
2) Anything sent directly to my home, either gets Refused, return to sender, or goes in the trash
Several of us did a custom card collectors set a few years ago on a message board, and a lot of the people sent them around to each other to get "signed". I can tell you that it was a general pain in the butt to be in a hurry, to grab the mail, have to get those out, keep them from bending, back in the proper envelope, dropped off at the post office, etc, etc., etc. I'm sure I probably had one of the longest return times of anybody, cause I'd see one of those requests and throw them in a box and would finally do them when I had absolutely nothing else to do. And keep in mind that was probably only like 20 requests, I can't imagine getting that crap everyday.
In person:
1) If I'm at whatever venue made me famous, IE, at the ballpark if I was a player, I would sign a handful a week in the stadium. I wouldn't sign at the same place every time. I'd vary the location (IE, one day two down the first base line, next day, one down the third base line, etc. Every now and then I'd stop while driving in and sign for 5 minutes. Just enough that if you are a regular grapher and wanted my sig, you could eventually get it with persistence and patience if you graphed the whole season.
2) I would sign at team sponsored events at least once a year, where they have it done orderly, IE, fans line up and funnel through one by one I would be willing to give at least 5 hours on that one day a year, which would give local fans plenty of time to funnel through if they so chose.
3) Outside of the venue or team events, I would not sign, however, I wouldn't be rude about it. i would let you take pictures if my time allowed, and if time allowed I'd take one with you, if time allowed, I'd use your cell to call your child, wife, etc, if you wanted if they were a big fan and would get a kick out of that, I'd shake your hand, smile, chat, etc. But for the most part, a ton of collectors are out of control in person, and I wouldn't want to contribute to that atmosphere, so it would just be generally known that I wouldn't sign in person while I wasn't at the venue. True fans would still enjoy a handshake or picture. Those in it for the almighty dollar wouldn't waste their time.
I've got a couple friends that played and/or coached at the pro level, and it's always a hassle going out with them. You probably can't even imagine how rude people are, what a sense of entitlement some graphers have, lack of common sense they display (approaching at dinner table, following to restroom, etc.), interrupting family and friend time, etc., and my friends aren't even "stars". It gets old, real fast. A lot of people seem to believe that if they buy a ticket, logo t-shirt, hat, etc, that you should kiss their butt and that they own you.
As a grapher myself, I tend to not mind too much as long as the athlete isn't rude, you can turn someone down without being a rear end like Josh Hamilton does at times. I'd rather they just say, "thanks, but no", instead of "I'll get you later", "I'll sign after BP", "get me at the tunnel", etc, when they have no intention of signing there either.
Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, LeBron James, etc, probably live a pretty comfortable lifestyle, but I'd hate to trade my relative anonymity for their lifetime of lack of privacy.
Mike
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
<< <i>
I thought Derek Jeter still played for the Yankees. When did Obama nominate him for this job?
http://www.unisquare.com/store/brick/
Ralph
Lou Gehrig Master Set
Non-Registry Collection
Game Used Cards Collection
But I would sign a full name, not some scribble that is all but unidentifiable.
The best part about my signature is that it is never the same twice, so good luck to the authenticators.
Kevin
Billy Ripken
Cal Ripken, Jr. 1980-2002
Cal Ripken, Sr.
Hall of Fame Rookies
<< <i>I'd only sign for kids and not for card companies, for which I'd use my "majestic" signature. If I had to sign for some "corporate" requirement, I'd use a unreadable scribble. >>
While I'm obviously not famous in any way, shape or form, I do have two signatures like described above. One, which is somewhat legible, is mostly used for correspondence and the other, a bunch of squiggly gobbledygook, is only used on 'legal' items.
Do team-sponsored events regularly (obviously this only applies to active athletes or ones who work for a team post-retirement). This ensures that the local portion of the fan base gets autos and helps promote attendance/merchandising.
Do signings at local stores (car dealers, cell phone stores, etc.) regularly. I'm paid for these, the lines are controlled, and it boosts my popularity for merchandising.
At the stadium, I'd try to sign at least a few each day. Kids preferred, and clearly fan items (i.e., those things that are labors of love to collect because they don't resell well for the effort that goes into getting them, such as team signed replica jerseys, gloves, photos) also get preference. One per person unless it's very uncrowded.
Mail will require a fairly cheap donation to my favorite charity (maybe a personal foundation, maybe a team charity, maybe something else I have a strong connection with). Without that, it goes back unsigned in the SASE with a form note. No SASE and no $ - I'm signing it and giving it to my favorite charity for them to sell or using it for the team's charitable endeavors (like visits to hospitalized kids).
Do card shows depending on demand and my free time. My fee per signature to the promoter would be the same as my mail fee. Inscriptions aren't extra, and photo op included with auto. Beyond that, promoter sets the auto price.
Charity events (banquets, golf tournaments, etc.) - I'm signing for everyone there - pretty much whatever you brought if you had to pay a lot of $ to get in, and at least 2 per person if it's a low dollar admission event.
Out in public (this includes team hotel while on the road), not if it's an unreasonable time (e.g., restroom, dinner), I'm on a time deadline, or crowd too large. Otherwise, 1 per person unless is very uncrowded, and I'll personalize unless item clearly not resellable.
Posing for photos with autograph seekers - out in public is yes, unless unreasonable to ask for photo then or would be a likely embarrassing picture. Other situations are yes.
Oh, and my signature is readable but not pretty (very angular with lots of vertical lines). I expect it wouldn't change much.
Nick
Reap the whirlwind.
Need to buy something for the wife or girlfriend? Check out Vintage Designer Clothing.
As for my signature, it wouldn't change much. My signature would be clearly recognizable, something like Ruth or Mantle, though not as neat as theirs. I've thought about this often - I don't know how anybody would forge my signature. It's never the same twice and that's without me trying to change it.
They call me "Pack the Ripper"
Would personalize items from kids I see repeatedly or look like they are helping out a grapher.
Would never sign for a grapher. I don't care if I suck and my signature isn't worth the item it is on, I won't be your meal ticket. Get a job that doesn't involve being an annoyance.
In person signature would be barely legible (which is my current signature).
Would never sweet spot a baseball.
Would never and I mean never sign a Sports Illustrated (if I made the cover). Doing this as an F.U. to the stalker SI King.
Would offer a nice, full name signature on items for a fee once or twice a year with all proceeds going to a specified charity.
<< I wouldn't give one to you. >>
Come on. It's for my kid."
Yeah so your kid can put it on ebay and then use the money on Magic or Pokemon cards.
JK
That said, I would always sign one item per person for free, with the requirement it be personalized. That goes both for in person and TTM autograph requests.
If people wanted me to sign without it being personalized, they would have to pay the average market rate, so they have negligible resell margins.
I would probably do something similar to what Emmitt Smith (and others) did with setting up their own company and hologram to ensure absolute authenticity to the collector community.
I probably would come up with one or two things I refused to sign, just to create some mystery/demand so I could use them for special events (i.e. charity auction).
When doing shows I would NOT charge a premium for certain items, inscriptions, or photo ops.
Overall, I like to think I would be pretty accommodating to the fans especially, as cliched as it is, the kids.
Snorto~
If I was a star player that was constantly being hounded I would try to be a accommodating as possible when approached IP. I would stick to signing 1 per person as long as people weren't pushing and shoving. I get that there are a lot of dealers out there trying to make a buck, but for every 1 dealer there are 9 other people that are truly looking for an autograph for their collection. I have seen a lot of players stressing over who is a dealer and who is a fan and it seems silly to worry about it and get mad about it. If someone is willing to take their time and wait for me I would try and be accommodating and sign atleast 1 for everyone. I would also make it routine to sign for people outside the ballpark after every game. I think if you were to stay consistent and take 10 minutes after every game and sign you are less likely to get chased by people when you are out with your family on your personal time.
One thing I would do is have two different signatures. One that I sign for free IP/TTM and a more legible signature that I would sign at shows or paid events. If someone is willing to spend their hard earned money for my signature they should definitely receive a better looking signature than the one I would sign for free or TTM.
I would sign TTM but for a small donation that I would split up between a couple of charities. I would probably also keep all my mail and take a few hours out of my day a couple times a year and try and bang them out all at once. I feel this would keep it from being burden trying to answer fan mail on a daily basis.
Too many 'fans' out there trying to make a buck on my autograph? No thanks.
<< <i>I'd sign nothing. Period. >>
Same here. Nothing.
You give me cash, I sign...
If they say it's for their kid, the price doubles. I do not do sympathy signatures. You had the kid, not you must afford the kid.
Dave
Only time it would be bothersome is if you're eating at a restaurant, in the men's room
Or having private time with your women.