Autograph ValuesIt's a tired old cliche, but it remains true: Autograph values are are like anything else; prices are determined by what somebody will pay for them. Value is for the most part determined by supply and demand, but often buyers pay more than an autograph is realistically worth because they either don't know any better or they are emotionally invested in it. Found an autograph and want to know how much it is worth? Just click the Facebook button at the right column, "like" the page, and ask your question there there. If possible, post a photo with the question. Be sure to use the "search" box in the upper right corner. Questions may have been asked about an item similar to yours. You can look through many of the: questions that have been asked here. Pay attention to the submission dates. As this site ages, autograph values can rise and fall. I have seen autographs sell for several times above what similar ones could be purchased for with just a little shopping. Usually people pay too much because they are "caught up in the moment." Someone might be strolling through Disney World and drop into a collectibles shop. Twenty minutes later that person owns a Doris Day custom framed photo with a certificate of authenticity. She paid $250 for it - about five times what a similar photo will sell for in another venue. Her Doris Day autograph is custom framed, but even figuring that in, she has paid more than twice what she would have paid if she had bought the signed photo somewhere else. Something similar happens all the time, and that was far from a worst-case scenario. It doesn't happen as much now as it did in the early days of online auctions, but bidding wars can still drive an autograph beyond its true market value. Both bidders don't want the other guy to have it. True autograph values are irrelevant when emotion takes over. The sensible thing to do is to shop and compare prices before you buy an autograph. Before you decide to buy, convince yourself that the autograph is authentic. Certificates of authenticity are only as good as the seller's reputation, and even reputable sellers go out of business. It's not that hard to decide for yourself whether most autographs are authentic. I said "most" because some autographs are impossible to authenticate. Many of today's celebrities don't really sign their autograph - they scribble "something." Kevin Costner usually signs with a K and a line. How hard would it be to forge that? Don't buy those kind of autographs at any price. Sports and entertainment stars from an earlier time usually took pride in their signatures. Mickey Mantle could be a grouch while he was signing at card shows, but he still made sure that every autograph was a beautiful one. Before you buy a Mickey Mantle autograph, study a handful that have been generally accepted as authentic. Using the Internet, it is not hard to find examples of most autographs, especially one as common as Mickey Mantle. Don't disregard third party authenticated autographs; just make sure that you believe that it is authentic. If you choose to sell it one day that COA will probably be worth a premium to a buyer who believes in them. Don't neglect to research the signing habits of those celebrities that interest you. Learn what a preprint looks like, and research whether your celebrity used secretaries or autopens. It's not that hard to research one celebrity at a time and recognize an authentic autograph when you see one. If you are planning on assembling a nice autograph collection, invest in a good autograph price guide. Guides are more than just price guides. The best ones are reference books. Some have selected signature exemplars so that you can compare what you have found to an authentic autograph. Many of them have comments regarding forgery and secretarial alerts. If you are going to be a serious collector you will want more than one to check one against the other. If your plans include being on the selling end of an autograph transaction, how can you find autograph values? The best way is a good autograph price guide. Remember, those autograph values in the guides are retail, meaning that's what you can expect to pay a dealer. If you are selling an autograph to a dealer, he's going to pay you a percentage of those prices based on how fast he can move it and his projected estimated selling point. For example, you should get a better percentage on a high dollar item with high demand than an inexpensive, common autograph that is going to take up space for awhile and not sell for much when it does find a buyer. Don't begrudge the dealer - he has overhead and has to clear a reasonable profit to stay in business. Return to Return to Collecting Celebrity Autographs from Autograph Values
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