Rudy -
I have an AUTO piece (I know this is a GU discussion) I'd like to share to VALIDATE your point about KNOWING what you are looking at.
I recently purchased an AUTO Ball on eBay - not because of the Buyer's description, but because of my own Research and Homework.
The Ball was listed (quite honestly I must add) as a 'Secretarial Signature' of a HOFer because the exemplars that the seller had pics of from PSA/DNA did not match the ball.
The PSA/DNA examples they used were all CUT Autos or Index Cards (which could be Secretary Sigs themselves) all of which could be Through the Mail Autos. Well, I found another PSA/DNA exemplar on-line that I KNOW the HOFer had to be there to sign - one of his Contracts!
Guess what - the Auto on the Contract matches the Ball - NOT the Index Cards and such that PSA/DNA had also certified.
So I bought the ball for $12.99 + #10.00 S/H... Clark Griffith (former Player - then Owner of the Senators) for whom Griffith Stadium was named. BV on a Griffith Single Signed Ball - $3,200.00.
IF I send it to PSA/DNA (I have had terrible experiences with them with pieces I have had signed IN-PERSON), I will be referring to their other Certified Autos in my submission.

Whether GU or AU, these kinds of deals don't come along often, but they are out there if you are willing to do the leg work.
On the GU side, I added a hat to my collection that I also watched on eBay for a couple of months. A Sparky Anderson GU Tigers Hat from 1994 (his LAST SEASON) with the 125th Ann Bronze Pin still on the MLB Logo and AUTOd w/ HOF 2000 Inscription.
It went around and around and the price kept dropping... I think the RED FLAG was the Detroit Tigers INC LOA - NOT Detroit Tigers Baseball Club (like most MLB Teams)... I finally Googled Detroit Tigers Inc. Guess what - it took me right to the Detroit Tigers MLB Page!!! When I checked the name on the LOA, it turned out to be the Director of Public Relations for the Tigers!
I immediately went back and bought the hat on a BIN for $74.99. GU AU HOFer Hat from his last season!!!
I would love to hear opinions from people here, but most collectors I know think Value is probably closer to $500 or so being a GU w/ Tigers LOA and AU from a HOFers Last Season in MLB.
All the best -
Chris
Leave a comment: