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Who Do You Collect?

As autograph collectors, most of us remember our first purchase. If we do not, we remember the first purchase of our favorite person’s autograph. At the time of that purchase, we probably did not expect to add additional autographs of that same person to our collection. Why would we? The purchase of a single autograph was an accomplished mission.

In most hobbies, the question of what people collect is often asked. The question asked of autograph collectors is often more confusing. Who do you collect?

It does not take long since the original purchase of our favorite person’s autograph to discover the fact that autographs go through many changes over the years. A vintage George Lucas autograph looks nothing like his more recent signature. This discovery causes many of us to add to our collections in ways that we never would have imagined at the beginning of our collecting days.

My vintage George Lucas autograph (top) and my more recently signed George Lucas autograph (bottom). The more recent autograph was signed in 2012. I could never have imagined owning more than one George Lucas autograph at the time of my original purchase.

I am curious to know who other members of Autograph Live collect. When I recently tallied pieces of my collection, I realized that there was a tie between two of my favorite people. They are Don Mattingly and Al Pacino. Who do you collect?

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Comment by Joe W. on May 23, 2020 at 10:04am: The first autograph I purchased was a Mickey Mantle signed photo. It was being advertised in Sports Collector Digest. Beautiful photo. But what I remember most is finding out late on it was a fake!

I've moved on from sports to entertainment. The movies and bands I liked in my twenties & thirties is what I'm collecting in my sixties.

Comment by terrier8HOF on May 23, 2020 at 10:12am: my first autographs were at the HOF in 1962, Jackie Robinson and Bob Feller were inducted. Yankees were playing in the HOF game that day, so my mom got some yankees while they were on the bus with windows open (maris and mantle kept theirs shut) and I remember going to the podium and getting Jackie and Bob to sign my score card. It was very different back then, the induction was done on the front steps with much smaller crowds. I no longer have any of those signatures unfortunately but I remember it well.

Comment by Mike Shepherd on May 23, 2020 at 10:21am: That is too bad about your Mickey Mantle autograph, Joe W. I had a similar experience with a Robert De Niro autograph that I purchased on eBay many years ago. I honestly cannot remember what my first purchased autograph was.

Comment by terrier8HOF on May 23, 2020 at 10:25am: when I first started really collecting in the late 70's, it makes me sick to think back on the bargains I used to get. Ty Cobb signed check for 15 bucks. Roberto Clemente on index card for 25, my Roger Maris signed ball for 12 bucks. Crazy.

Comment by Mike Shepherd on May 23, 2020 at 10:25am: Terrier, you actually had an opportunity to meet Jackie Robinson? That is incredible. I wish that you still had those autographs. It sounds like we both had mothers who were willing to go out of their way for us.

Comment by Joe W. on May 23, 2020 at 10:26am: Yes, and I never replaced it with a genuine one. There are several autographs I seek with more passion than others and they are Paul McCartney, Sean Connery, and Harrison Ford.

Comment by Joe W. on May 23, 2020 at 10:28am: Actually meeting Jackie Robinson is worth than ten of his autographs, IMO. I've never really been in a situation of meeting anyone famous and probably would be too shy to ask for one.

Comment by terrier8HOF on May 23, 2020 at 11:29am: I was 9 and had no idea who he was. I just remember his white hair. It was an unplanned stop by my parents on the way back from Niagara Falls. We had no idea it was induction day.