Skyrocketing Signatures

[skyking26]

Re: Skyrocketing Signatures

Sometimes photos like that are worth more than a sig. Nice. Must have been taken last year??

[sammy]

Re: Skyrocketing Signatures

Back in 2000, I contacted Brooks Robinson's representatives about a private signing.

The price was 25,000.00 plus expenses for a 4 hour signing, with a set number of items to be signed.

I just laughed and told them they were crazy.

[bigjimsguitars]

Re: Skyrocketing Signatures

Back in 2000, I contacted Brooks Robinson's representatives about a private signing.

The price was 25,000.00 plus expenses for a 4 hour signing, with a set number of items to be signed.

I just laughed and told them they were crazy.

And how much do you think would have actually filtered down to Brooks?

[godwulf]

Re: Skyrocketing Signatures

My sincere apologies to Sergio Santos - yeah, I know...like he's gonna read this - and to the Baseball gods; earlier in the thread, I besmirched his character somewhat, 'cause he appeared to have snubbed me last Saturday night, when I was trying to get him to sign a bat, after an Arizona Fall League game.

Good rule of thumb: never post when angry or mildly depressed.

I must have just caught him at a bad moment, or something...'cause today, only mildly daunted, I lay in wait for him outside the clubhouse door, called his name as he passed by, and he came back and very graciously took the time to put a nice signature on the bat for me.

[richpick]

Re: Skyrocketing Signatures

Here is one that I am sure you will all appreciate. I am a Dodger fan and even though he was a Cub when this happened I am sure some of you will remember when Rick Monday grabbed the American flag from two guys who ran onto the field and were trying to light the flag on fire. This happened at Dodger Stadium in 1976 (if you do not know of this event which is deemed one of the top 100 moments of baseball history go to rickmonday.com and there is a video of the event with Vin Scully calling the action, classic). Well I have a large poster of the famous shot of Rick with the flag just after he grabs it away from the two guys. The poster is black and white and from the Herald Examiner newspaper.

Well Rick Monday was doing a free signing a few weeks ago at a Nissan dealership in Los Angeles. So my daughter and I traveled up there with the poster. So the autograph is FREE and the poster came out of a bunch of Dodger stuff that I bought from a flea market and I had made my money back on a few nice items so really the poster was an afterthought so it was FREE. So really I had no money into the whole thing apart from time and gas.

We go and I tell my daughter of the whole story and she asks "what happened to the two guys who tried to light the flag on fire?". So I tell her we will ask Rick if we get a chance. The event was really nice free Dodger Dogs and sodas and really about 20 or so people in line. We get to Rick and I ask him to sign the poster to my daughter and myself. He does and then we talked with him for over 5 minutes. I told him my daughters question and he replied "I can tell you what happened to the two guys they were ticketed for tresspassing and placed on probation for two years". The flag is still in his posession. Really nice guy.

So here is the FUNNY part. So now I have a nice poster to frame that my daughter and I will remember. The poster though is not in the best (MINT) shape. It has many folds which is how they placed it in the newspaper and the folds have slightly yellowed and a couple of folds have started to tear. It is not bad though for being over 30 years old. So since I am going to frame it I send it to a poster conservation company on the east coast who preserve posters and one sheets for auction houses, collectors, and museums. I am thinking, going in that I will pay $80 for linen backing which will strengthen the poster for framing.

They call and tell me to restore the poster to perfect condition it will cost $210. I explain that the poster has no real monetary value and this would be absurd. If I did pay this money they would bleach wash the poster to remove the yellowness (since he signed in permanent Sharpie it would not affect the signature, sounds weird but they assurd me), fill in the tears, and then add the linen backing. I pleaded that the poster only had sentimental value so they said they could do it for $185.

Rick Monday Flag Snatch Patriotic Poster: FREE
Personalized Signature from Rick Monday: FREE
Preservation and repair of poster: $185
Memory with my daughter: PRICELESS

It will take one month turnaround time and then I will have framing on top of that! Oh well its only money!


My daughter and Rick Monday


Myself, my daughter, the poster, and Rick

Richard

[island_style]

Re: Skyrocketing Signatures

Maybe there should be a thread on how to collect auto's for free where people from around the country could chime in and lend their experiences at the different ball parks around the country.

With that let me give some free pointers about Dodger Stadium:

The gates open for the parking lot 2 hours before the game, and while it's stated that the gates to the stadium open 90 min before the game, there is the field level gate at the left field side that opens 2 hours before the game and all fans regardless of where they are sitting can come in and get an opportunity to watch the last part of the Dodgers during Batting Practice and maybe shag a ball and get an autograph...fans's are allowed to stay until batting practice is over for the visiting team and that also means that they can get some auto's from the visiting team.

The visiting team buses typically park outside of the right field pavilion and the players walk to it at the end of the game and they often sign and allow you to take pictures with them, but you have to hang around for about an hour or so at times. This is okay as it allows for the traffic to die down anyway.

Great info on the left field entrance and visitor's team bus. I can remember when the Dodger players used to park outside the left field pavilion. Although there was a chain link fence to separate the players and autograph seekers, it was fairly easy to get some sigs (either with the players signing through the fence or by tossing the items over the fence). Unfortunately, the Dodger players now park in a secured area on the eighth level at the employee entrance in-between the Reserved Level and Top Deck.

Here in Hawaii, we have the Hawaii Winter Baseball League going on. The players are very approachable and I have yet to see a player turn down an autograph or photo opportunity. Joba Chamberlain pitched here last season.

Kind Regards,

Ron.

Rsamiano@aol.com

[otismalibu]

Re: Skyrocketing Signatures

So here is the FUNNY part. So now I have a nice poster to frame that my daughter and I will remember. The poster though is not in the best (MINT) shape. It has many folds which is how they placed it in the newspaper and the folds have slightly yellowed and a couple of folds have started to tear. It is not bad though for being over 30 years old. So since I am going to frame it I send it to a poster conservation company on the east coast who preserve posters and one sheets for auction houses, collectors, and museums. I am thinking, going in that I will pay $80 for linen backing which will strengthen the poster for framing.

Well, I guess it's a little late but here's what I do for old posters that aren't in the greatest shape. Take it to your local craft shop and have it dry mounted to foam board. Takes out all the wrinkles and adds a rigid backing. Then I go over the any imperfections with colored pencils. You can also have it dry mounted to a slightly over sized piece of foam board, leaving a border for a mat. I think it's around $20-25 for a 24"x36" poster.

If you look at the pair of posters in the 3rd row down (below link). You'll see that the one on the right was laminated and you can see all the folds. The one on the left also had the fold marks, but it's been dry mounted and touched up. Almost all of them have been dry mounted and stuck in a cheap frame.

http://www.geocities.com/otismalibu/posters.html

[richpick]

Re: Skyrocketing Signatures

Well, I guess it's a little late but here's what I do for old posters that aren't in the greatest shape. Take it to your local craft shop and have it dry mounted to foam board. Takes out all the wrinkles and adds a rigid backing. Then I go over the any imperfections with colored pencils. You can also have it dry mounted to a slightly over sized piece of foam board, leaving a border for a mat. I think it's around $20-25 for a 24"x36" poster.

Thank you otismalibu,

In the future this will help with other projects or anything that does not hold so much sentimental value. I did send it to one of the best restorers around and when you get the best you pay for the best. I am sure it will turn out nice and I am thinking of trying to get Vin Scully to autograph the poster as well as he was giving the play by play of the event. I will post a picture of the poster when I get it back.

Thanks agian,

Richard

[godwulf]

Re: Skyrocketing Signatures

If you want a real collectible, you should try to get the "hippies" to sign it.



Naaaaaaaa...

[richpick]

Re: Skyrocketing Signatures

If you want a real collectible, you should try to get the "hippies" to sign it.

Thats funny that crossed my mind

Richard

[cjw]

Re: Skyrocketing Signatures

I enjoyed reading about the best player autograph spots in the various stadiums and thought this would be a great post to leave in the "educational" section...so that fans could check in for updates before haeding out to new cities for vacation ball games.

To that end, let me provide you with some feedback on the best places to obtain player sigs in Toronto's Rogers centre - home of the Blue Jays. I worked in the Hotel in the stadium for 10 years and missed out on many amazing player autographs as it was Hotel policy to give the guests their space (only fair..but I missed out on Hank Aaron, Stan Musial, the Mick, Ali...etc!). For a non-employee, the Hotel lobby and front doors are a great place to hang out. Better if you are a guest...but book early, especially for Yankee, Indians and ChiSox games (book the day the MLB sked comes out). If you have a room, you can hang out in the lobby or in the bar and you will get several Jays sigs and have shot at many others. Only the White Sox stay at the Hotel in the stadium thus far (this could change, but since 1977 the city has had ball and the visiting teams have had other hotel affliations...the stadium hotel was opened in 1989). When the Sox visit thay stay at the Hotel and the guests can get everyone's autograph. Non guests hand out just outside the lobby doors and aren't shooed far away by the doormen, so this works too.

For other teams, try the lobby too.....even thought the other teams don't stay there, many players use the hotel lobby as a meeting place to link up with friends, family and former teamates, now on the jays roster. If you aren't a guest, but are quiet and polite you should have no problem hanging out here...escpecially if you go into the lobby bar and have a drink. There is an elevator that comes from the field to the kitchen area of this bar/restaurant, and many players and media come up this way. This is more comfortable than hanging out in a parking lot. Get-away days are different...the visitors and Jays will board buses and cars in the lot under the stadium and one will have little chance to catch them. Soem of the visitors also exit from gate 7...so this can be a good spot as well. gates open 1 1/2 hours before the game, so most of BP is over or ending and autos here are not easy.

visit Toronto if you get a chance...great city...clean, friendly, exciting and interesting...enjoy!

[godwulf]

Re: Skyrocketing Signatures

Thats funny that crossed my mind

Beyond the fact that one of the "hippies" was reportedly the father of the other, I've been unable to find out any information about their identities. It's got to be out there on the web somewhere...

[radtke]

Re: Skyrocketing Signatures

Most of this discussion is regarding baseball player signing fees. I collect signed NFL memorabilia, and you MLB guys need to consider yourselves lucky. Fees for football players are SIGNIFICANTLY higher.

I just paid to have a LaDainian Tomlinson game issued throwback helmet signed and the total freight was about $200. Yes, he's hot right now, but a number of other former and current NFL'ers charge in that vicinity.

Funny part was I live just north of San Diego and the private signing was with Radtke Sports in Georgia. They required I ship the helmet to GA, they then shipped it to SD for the undisclosed signing with LT, shipped it back to GA, and now it's on its way home. Crazy.

Hey Mike,

Why don't you start complaining about the source of the high prices the players and agents. Do you think LT is going to sign your helmet for $10.00? It is hard enough to get them to sign at the price we offer them considering they are getting 7-15 million a year to play. Trust me the margin of profits we make aren't as great as you think. Yeah, LT is hot but if he breaks his neck tomorrow, we get stuck with all his memorabilia. What about if he gets traded? What if he ends up like Mike Vick? Your talking about serious lossess my man. Most collectors do not understand all the costs associated with getting these guys to sit down (signature price, shipping, airfare, hotels, holograms, pictures). It adds up pretty fast The prices we pay them to sign signatures is chump change compared to their contracts and endorsements. Second, if you would like to address why the shipping was the way it is maybe you should deal with the crazy collectors we deal with on a daily basis. Numerous times we have had collectors try and show up at signings because they find out where the location is at. It is a security measure. You may not like it, but that is the way it goes. Remember, this is a business and we are not here to dole out free autographs and this isn't 1970 where players would charge $3.00 a signature.