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| How to Collect Autographs |
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Sports autograph collecting... what a great hobby it is! It makes everyday going out to the mail box an adventure! You never know what you are going to get. I started collecting autographs in February of 2002, and I must say, it has been a very rewarding experience. Not only have I recieved many, many great autographs from players of all different sports, but I have also been able to meet some of the greatest people who also share the hobby as well. Throughout the past couple of years, several people have e-mailed me requesting information on "how to collect autographs". This section is dedicated to just that topic. I hope it helps all those who read it. Many thanks go out to my friends Stu and Jarrett for the helpful hints I have learbed from them. They both have great sites and I highly recommend them to you! |
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First things first. What materials do you need? You'll need large business envelopes, smaller letter writing envelopes, writing paper, a pen, the card(s) of the player you are going to send to, baby powder (I'll explain why below), and 2 stamps, one for the larger envelope and one for the smaller envelope. Also needed to make this happen is the most important item... an address so you can mail the card to the player for the request! You can get these addresses from several different places. TOUGH STUFF sports card magazine is an excellent source for stadium addresses. This magazine can be found at your local sports cards store or Wal-Mart. The web also contain thousands of sites which feature stadium addresses as well. A great place to look would be the teams web site. The best advice I can give you is utilizing player home addresses. Where can you get these addresses? www.sportsaddresslists.com! This site contains one of |
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the best, if not the best, listing of player home addresses that's out there. Most list are under $20 and believe me, with the success you achieve, they pay for themselves! One of the best investments I ever made in the hobby! Another source for home addresses is from fellow hobbyist. Some may be a little hesitant in sharing at first until they get to know you. Sharing home addresses are a subject in the hobby that collectors are careful about. Carelessly giving out these addresses could hurt the hobby. StarArchive is also a great source for addresses to send your request to. Be careful though... not all the addresses listed on it are correct. Check the history reports and make your decision carefuly from there. I have had good success utilizing the site resources though. |
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Ok, lets write that letter! You don't want the letter to be too long or too short... make it just right. I would suggest about 3/4 of the page. It has been said that hand-written letters are best and more personable, but I have also been told by other collectors that it really doesn't matter. You want to revert back to childhood basics... use "please" and "thank you". Remember, these athletes get bombarded all the time for their signature... they are doing YOU the favor. Show respect and that might just get you that autograph. In your letter, tell them what you think of them. Talk about games or plays they might have been a part of, and near the end, nicely request their autograph. When finished with the letter, fold it and place it inside of the large business sized envelope. At this time, go ahead and address the outside of the larger envelope with the players address and your return address in the corner. |
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Next, address a small envelope with your mailing address both in the center and the top-left hand corner. Don't forget to stamp this one as well. I like to go with the self-sticking envelopes that you do not have to lick. It's easier for you and the player. Remember, you want to make this as easy as possible for the player. Next, take the card(s) you are going to send to the player to request an autograph and, if it has a glossy finish, sprinkle a little baby powder on it (about a half teaspoon) and rub it on the card for about 30 seconds firmly with a folded up paper towel. Why? Alot of markers, mainly the hobby's most used, Sharpies, do not write well on glossy surfaces. By applying the baby powder, this will allow the markings to stick better. If not used, the marking will bubble up and streak. If you are sending a card which does not have a glossy surface, you should be good to go. It's my experience that using baby powder does not change the appearance of the card. Now, take the card(s), slide them into the folded letter, then slide the folded letter under the small flap of the small envelope and place all of these contents inside of the larger envelope. Seal the large envelope and mail it off! |
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Most of my autograph successes have come back between a period of 1 week and 2 months. I believe the longest return I have had was 499 days. But hey! It was a success! One of the biggest suggestions I can give you is this.... NEVER send anything in the mail that you can't stand to live without. Some items DO NOT come back... that's just part of the hobby. Also, every once in a while when you use home addresses you may accidently send a request to the wrong address or someone who has the same name as the player you were sending for... this is usually solved by the person nicely sending back your item(s) with a small note attached explaining why... this rarely happens though. You also have to be on the look out for fake autographs. Ghost Signers (people who sign for the player), Autopens (machines that sign for the player), and stamps (rubber stamp and ink) are among the most scene in the hobby. I would suggest comparing your autograph you recieve with those known to be authentic. eBay is an excellent source for this as well as the several hundred authentic autograph web site dealers around the country. |
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That just about wraps it up! I wish you the very best with all your request. Hopefully you'll soon see how rewarding sports autograph collecting can be! If you ever have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me! |
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