Most Sought-After Baseball Autographs

Collecting autographs of baseball stars is usually a habit that starts in childhood and can continue into adulthood. Most who participate in autograph collecting get into it because it is a pleasant diversion that allows them to feel involved with their baseball "heroes." However, some become obsessed with the hobby and will stop at nothing to get an autograph that they consider valuable. There's nothing wrong with wanting the autographs of past or present stars like Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz, but the autograph seeker should always act with dignity and honesty.

  1. Types

    • It's impossible to make a list and definitively say which autographs are the most popular because there are so many variables. What is the condition of the autograph? Is it an autographed picture, or is it merely a piece of paper. If the autograph is on a bat used in a game or a game-worn jersey, the value goes up dramatically. Former players like Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente and Sandy Koufax have extremely valuable autographs. Once a Hall of Famer has died, his autograph tends to go up in value. Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Manny Ramirez, Randy Johnson, Chase Utley, Mariano Rivera and Albert Pujols tend to be among the most popular autographs among current players. However, the autograph's value is in the eye of the beholder. A person may be a huge fan of an average player like the Cubs' Reed Johnson and an autographed picture of Johnson may mean more to him than an autographed bat from Rodriguez.

    Function

    • The most sought-after autographs may also be the most valuable. A baseball autographed by Mickey Mantle can be worth more than $500 depending on its condition and a bat or uniform can be worth 10 times that depending on the item's condition. Many people who start off seeking autographs for the joy of the experience later turn it into a business. There's nothing wrong with that on its face. Autograph collectors may want a certain signature and then hold onto a particular item for years. Then they either lose interest in the item or it grows in value so they decide to sell it. The buying and selling of autographs turns a hobby into a business.

    Time Frame

    • Autograph seekers can go to shows where they pay a fee to get in an auditorium or a hall and then can get as many as 100 autographs from the assembled players (retired or active) in a two- to three-hour period. Autograph seekers can bring in their own pictures or other items and ask the players to sign them or they can purchase pictures for the player to autograph. Fans can also write letters to players asking for autographs. A polite letter with a self-addresed, stamped envelope often gets a positive response in the mail a week or two later. Fans can also get autographs by going to the ballpark early and heading toward the dugout when the players are going through pregame infield or batting practice. A nice smile and a polite request may get an immediate positive response.

    Considerations

    • Like any hobby or business, autograph seekers can take their avocation and turn it into an unhealthy obsession. In addition to potentially stalking players at their hotels or outside the parking lot at the ball park, many autograph seekers will lie to a player in order to get more than one autograph. "This one is for my kid," almost always works because it a very reasonable and believable scenario. But when an autograph seeker comes back to a table at an autograph show armed with 10 pictures and tells the player that each one is for a different friend or family member, it becomes clear that the individual is looking to collect for profit and is trying to do it under false pretenses. This tends to leave a bad taste in everybody's mouth.

    Warning

    • Don't let the prospect of quick money allow you to lower your moral standards and start lying or stalking in order to get an autograph. Society tends to accept the idea of children getting their hero's signature, but adults who collect may be met with a more jaundiced view. That should not stop anyone from collecting autographs as a hobby or business as long as they are honest about the way they are going about it and do not become obsessed with the business of signature collecting.