I've never been a huge fan of cutting up signed documents or vintage game-worn jerseys to make baseball cards. That's never been a secret.
You like 'em? I've got nothing against you. To each his own, I suppose. I'll even admit a few of them are really little mini works of art. If you can force yourself to believe that the cut-up jersey was falling apart anyway.
I also respect the card companies' rights to do what they feel is necessary to sell products, but if you had told me 15 years ago that the concept would become the backbone of the modern card market, I would have laughed.
Then cried.
Surely true baseball fans and collectors would never support destroying historic sports memorabilia so 'everyone' could own a sliver of it, would they?
Yes they would.
They'd buy cases, hoping for a 'hit'. They'd pay hundreds of dollars for a cut signature card on eBay, when the original document --still intact--wasn't worth that much. In some ways, it's kept the modern card industry alive. Just plain cards weren't enough anymore.
Or so we were told.
The swatches of the 90s gave way to more sophisticated, more vintage pieces as time went on. Anything was--and is-- fair game. Babe Ruth bats. Mickey Mantle uniforms. Jackie Robinson jersey buttons.
Abe Lincoln's hair.
But I digress.
The 'cut autograph' craze has resulted in numerous signed documents being purchased and the autographed portion shaped to fit inside the frame of a card. Sometimes, a large flowing signature gets clipped.
The grading companies would call it 'trimmed'.
But it had to fit on the card. The autographs had been purchased for packaging. The checklist had been announced.
Several days ago, this post on another site brought up some potentially embarrassing flaws in the cuts being advertised as authentic Presidential signatures on a couple of hobby products, one of which is trying to make its mark in a crowded field.
We'll let you decide the merits of what's offered and whether you care, but it's quite plausible to say that acquiring real autographs of US Presidents might just be a little harder--and expensive--to do than some in the industry once thought.
Who really is walking around with a showcase full of Marty Van Buren letters in 2009 anyway?
Fake autographs on cards isn't a new phenomenon either.
Autograph buying should always come with a healthy dose of skepticism anyway, whether slabbed or not. Clubhouse boys and professional forgers have been fooling fans for years. Unless you saw it signed, there's a chance it's not real (and if you did, that still doesn't mean it's going to get the authenticator's blessing--but that's another story)
There's something about cutting up a Dick Nixon letter that has an autopen signature and sticking it in a pack of baseball cards that just feels right on so many levels. Call it poetic justice. Call it a sign from above that baseball cards should be about...well...baseball.
I do feel for the kid who pulls one and later finds out it's not real because at that point, we've lost a collector--probably for good. And the hobby can't afford that right now. But then, when some of those packs are $1,000 and up, kids aren't the ones buying them.
It caused a bit of a stir in the hobby when it was released nearly 14 years ago. "Card Sharks" by former USA Today writer Pete Williams, attempted to chronicle the rise of Upper Deck from hobby newcomer in the late 1980s to a serious rival to Topps--a process that took just a year thanks to Ken Griffey Jr. and its mission to take baseball cards a little upscale.
It seems quaint now, but Upper Deck's early innovations worked--even if some of the premiums that sold for big money in the early days had a habit of sneaking out the back door.
It wasn't a movie so there won't be a "Card Sharks II" according to Williams, who has moved on to other things. But he did take time to do some Q&A with Mario of Wax Heaven.
Back on February 8, the Lakers and Cavs met in what could potentially be a prelude to the NBA Finals.
Amid the hype, Upper Deck Authenticated worked a deal to have two of its big name clients sign their shoes with a Sharpie, then wear them in a game. LeBron James and Kobe Bryant are both under contract to the company.
The "instant memorabilia" project was taped, and although Kobe somewhat mysteriously begged off adding his autograph after the contest, James was actually afraid of screwing up his signature.
Luckily, no opposing player stepped on LeBron's bright white Nikes and defiled the autograph, so...here's the whole story:
Last Thursday night was a pretty normal night for Buffalo resident Doug Wielinski.
He was in his house, apparently working on his sports memorabilia collection. He was an avid fan of the Yankees, Bills, the old Buffalo Bisons and the Sabres. He was serious enough about the hobby to show up at local weekend flea markets and antique shows at 6 AM to get first crack at whatever might be out there. A father of four adult girls, Wielinksi was 61 and probably looking forward to retirement.
Around 10 PM, he must have heard a loud noise. A low flying airplane. Seconds later, Doug Wielinski was dead.
A Continental Airlines flight had dropped from the sky and onto the family's home. His wife and one daughter who was also in the house, got out OK. 49 others on the plane were killed. A memorial service for a collector one local dealer called "a real gentleman" will be held on Saturday.
It's always fun to rip open new packs of cards--even if you're more of a vintage guy or girl, but the short prints that now seem to be a part of just about every set on the market make me glad I'm not addicted to the modern stuff. Any of us who grew up in the age when set collecting was pretty much all anyone did would be driven completely bonkers trying to find them all. I'd rather let someone else do the work and buy a master set sometime in July.
The Premier Collectible Conference and Exhibition, which debuted in Chicago last year, was scheduled for April again this year, but instead they'll wait until 2010 for the second edition. Considering the economic climate, it's probably a smart move. The PCCE is a great concept--and we enjoyed being part of the event last year, listening to the panel discussions which delved into some of the hobby's issues and concerns.
1954 Dixie Lid Richie Ashburn, where are you?
If you’re a long-time Sports Collectors Daily fan, you’ve probably read our ‘Eyesore to Card Store’ series about the guys in Marion, IL who took a century-old downtown building and turned into a phenomenally nice, small-town card shop. I finally made good on my promise to make the drive from world headquarters and see the place in person last Saturday. The store is as impressive as it looks in the pictures we’ve shown you. Hardwood floors, plenty of space, a spot to sit and very well stocked with new and old sports cards, memorabilia and fan gear. If there’s a church of baseball cards, this is it.
Fox Sports Cards is now two years old and we promise a new update on how they’re doing very soon. In light of the number of shops that continue to close, it’s important to keep the business side of the hobby in focus. I can tell you that these guys are working extremely hard and most importantly, doing things the right way to have a chance to succeed—even in small town America. They’ve followed the blueprint for modern marketing; reaching out to Little League teams, Cub Scout groups, local schools and every other relevant civic group to get customers in the store. The hope, of course, is that they come back. Many do –and so do their dads, who rediscover the hobby they left 20 or 30 years ago.
There are obstacles. They get undercut on pricing by fake storefronts in the distribution chain. Disposable income is down. The card companies don’t always deliver product that matches the hype. But the store has become a destination—not just for the few hundred collectors in the immediate area. Families will drive an hour or hour and a half to come to their “trade nights” as will collectors who want a new product the day it comes out. They tape YouTube videos of their own box breaks which has spawned additional business from collectors across the country who like watching them to get an idea of what the products offer and decide they would just as soon support a hard-working card shop run by collectors. They put out a regular newsletter and update their website. They’re working hard to keep the concept of the card shop alive—and ensuring the hobby has a future. Kids do still get excited about cards. But you have to make it fun for them and treat them right by giving stuff away. You have to keep the place clean, organized and open as long as possible each day.
It’s all tremendously hard work for a shop owner who can’t yet call it his full-time job. But Dan Fox and his staff are still having fun and are excited about how far they’ve come in two years. You hope other shops are having similar success. And you really hope the sports leagues, card companies, distributors and other businesses appreciate it as much as their customers.
Editor's Blog
