Autograph Collecting is a fast growing hobby among sports enthusiasts.Unfortunately, most of us can not afford the price of autographs of our heroes. Following are some examples of Autograph Prices of some of the popular baseball players on a 3x5 Index Card (typically the least expensive autograph you can purchase):

Baby Ruth $2,500

Ty Cobb $800

Honus Wagner $750

Lou Gehrig $3,000

Shoeless Joe Jackson $5,000

Christy Mathewson $5,000

Joe DiMaggio $150

Mickey Mantle $275

Jackie Robinson $600

(*) Source for Above Prices is Sports Market Report

The problems with above prices are twofold: 1) Most of us can not afford them 2) Spending that kind of money almost requires that we keep the autograph in a safe place so it would not be damaged, and it could not be easyly removed by someone.

Most of us collect not for investment purposes (that is often secondary) but for the enjoyment and beauty of the piece we purchase. If you purchase a great picture of Babe Ruth with a cutout with his autograph, do you want to keep it on your wall or on the Bank’s Safe Deposit Box. If you are happy with the Bank’s Box, and you can afford the price, then this is a very sound investment that most likely appreciate in value. However, if you purchased the item to display, enjoy, and share with your family and friends, then the “Authentic Original Autograph” is most likely not how you should invest your money. I put “Authentic Original Autograph” in quotes because I recently had a bad experience with Authentic Autographs with Certificate of Authenticity that I purchased, however, I will share that with you at another time.