There was a brief discussion on Twitter Sunday morning about the declining quality of player signatures as a whole. It started when collector Rob Bertrand posted this about a hockey patch card signed by Marcus Kruger.
I responded:
Topps joined briefly...
Yes, it is a somewhat complex problem. Quantity, of course, is an issue. Card companies demand it to satisfy collectors and the quality of signatures is bound to suffer when players sit and sign hundreds or even a thousand cards at one time for future releases. It’s human nature to get tired after a while.
Some would argue that’s just how signatures have evolved.
There are fewer things that require actual hand-written letters these days. We don’t write letters anymore but when we do, we type them. I learned to type in middle school. Now, elementary kids are learning. There is far less emphasis on the old cursive writing style we all use to sign our names. A sloppy signature is seldom grounds for holding a kid back in school.
But is that really how a player normally signs his name on a more important document like a mortgage, personal check, bank account, driver’s license or credit card application? Maybe.
It could be that signing thousands of autographs has led to the downfall of neatness—or at least legibility.
But it has to start somewhere. I don’t buy that players don’t know how to write legibly or “that’s just how they write”. Players know how to form the letters in their names. My guess is that if you got ahold of their senior yearbook, you’d be able to read their signature.
Signing a huge box of trading cards or a stack of sticker sheets is probably not a player’s favorite task. They wouldn’t do it if they didn’t get paid. They want it over with as soon as possible.
Taking three more seconds to write neatly equates to 50 more minutes per 1,000 autographs. To most players, that’s wasted time. If they can get the job done and still get paid, why worry about it?
Complaining about it puts the card companies at risk that players won’t want to sign anymore if it becomes a time-consuming hassle where their autographs are judged and maybe even rejected for lack of quality.
You would hope that players are at least strongly encouraged by their leagues, their union and by the card companies (or at least one of the three) to make their autographs readable. It shouldn’t just be about the money or getting it done in record time. All rookies should get a lecture from someone to at least make an effort.
When bulk signings are done, players are usually sitting down. They’re not on the move, trying to sign for fans like they are after a game. Taking pride in their signature should be no different than taking pride in their work on the field or their community service.
What about simply not including bad autographs in products? If player ‘A’ signs one letter and a straight line, maybe he gets paid but he’s not asked to sign again. Can the card companies live without signatures from, say, 25 average or below average players with the poorest penmanship? I would think so but I don’t manage their product lines—or their bottom line. Some collectors probably feel something is better than nothing although that seems like a poor rationalization.
The quality of autographs has been on a steady decline for the last decade or so and it’s not a problem restricted to trading cards. The issue isn’t that a few players can’t write well. It’s that a very large number of them now can’t—or won’t. Take a look at the gallery we published last month.
Look at signed balls from an earlier time. You can read most of the autographs if you know the team. Now take a look at a ball autographed in the last five or ten years. The difference is startling. I don’t know how the authenticators can do it, frankly. Look at the pre-printed signatures on your vintage cards. They’re vastly different.
Impossible to change? I don't think so. The late Harmon Killebrew was so disgusted by the autographs of current Twin Justin Morneau that he talked to him about it. Morneau began to take more care with his signature and soon other teammates like Joe Mauer were doing the same.
Many of the cards produced these days are beautiful. The card companies go to tremendous lengths to design little works of art. Sometimes the autographs that go with them look great. Many times, they almost detract from the piece. Sticker autographs, a bane to many collectors, are even worse when the signature can’t be read.
The whole thing is embarrassing. The player, league, card companies and collectors, who must explain why they bother to save or chase such nonsense, all look bad.
Sales may not be suffering because of scribbles but if I were a collecting newcomer or one getting back into it after a long hiatus, pulling one of those nasty autographs out of a $100 box would turn me off.
If autographed cards are what are driving the trading card industry, don’t collectors deserve better?
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 JASON KIPNIS 2010 BOWMAN CHROME PROSPECTS ORANGE REFRACTOR RC AUTO 25 BGS 95 $599.00 Time Remaining: 51m Buy It Now for only: $599.00 |
 Barry Sanders 2012 Leaf Metal Prismatic Silver Auto BGS 95 Gem Mint 28 50 $199.99 Time Remaining: 1h 6m Buy It Now for only: $199.99 |
 2011 Bowman Sterling Gold Refractors Torrey Smith Auto Logo Patch BGS 95 RARE $200.00 Time Remaining: 1h 23m Buy It Now for only: $200.00 |
 2004 Bowman Signs of the Future Autographs Matt Schaub Rookie BGS 9 Auto 10 $50.00 Time Remaining: 1h 24m Buy It Now for only: $50.00 |
 2005 Topps Chrome refractor auto 500 Jay Bruce rookie BGS 95 ALL SUBS 95 GEM $199.99 Time Remaining: 1h 29m Buy It Now for only: $199.99 |
 2010 JIMMY GRAHAM National Treasures Gold AUTO BGS 95 251 10 25 Pop 1 1 $395.00 Time Remaining: 1h 43m Buy It Now for only: $395.00 |
 BGS 95 2007 Bowman Sterling AUTO Julio Borbon RC TEXAS $59.99 Time Remaining: 1h 46m Buy It Now for only: $59.99 |
 2008 BOWMAN CHROME DAVID PRICE AUTO BGS 95 AUTO 10 QTY $79.99 Time Remaining: 1h 48m Buy It Now for only: $79.99 |
 BGS 95 2007 Elite Extra AUTO Julio Borbon RC d 594 $79.99 Time Remaining: 1h 49m Buy It Now for only: $79.99 |
I honestly get a bigger rush when I get an envelope in the mailbox from a TTM success then when I get a big hit auto from a box.
It only goes to reason that some signatures become sloppy after having signed 10,000 or more copies in a 2 day sitting. Companies need to reduce the # of signatures as a whole…Wont cure the long term problem, but would definitely improve some..I long for the day when people actually go get their own autos ip or TTM.
"Cindy Z" U know nothing about collecting cards, so no, problem not solved. You can't avoid what u can't see when buying a box of cards. Only way u can avoid it is when buying on eBay or similar sites. Next time don't comment on something u obviously know little about
Great piece. Thanks for the link and acknowledgement.
I believe Joey Logano's PR people had a talk with him about his signature as well. In the latest Press Pass Nascar products, his auto is a lot more legible.
I believe Joey Logano's PR people had a talk with him about his signature as well. In the latest Press Pass Nascar products, his auto is a lot more legible.
Stop buying unreadable signatures. Buy readable ones. If you don't abide by this, then don't complain. There. problem solved.
Stop buying unreadable signatures. Buy readable ones. If you don't abide by this, then don't complain. There. problem solved.