Youth N Asia 0 Report post Posted November 14, 2003 A nearby trade center place is having Barry Sanders come in and sign autographs. I'm not interested or anything, and I knew it was going to be pricey...but DAMN $109.00 - Flat (up to 11x14) $139.00 - Flat over 11x14, Mini Helmets, Footballs $159.00 - Helmets, Jerseys, #'s, Equipment, Artwork INSCRIPTIONS: $60.00 - PER inscription, up to 10 Characters ONLY I understand how these guys make millions and I guess wouldn't settle for anything less then an assload of money. But for the guy to take a couple hours out of his day and sign his name, this is retarded. And an extra $60 only gets you 10 characters?! That's just awful. Darren McCarty...durring his rookie season I got a Red Wing's hat and card signed for a total of $6...next time he was signing it was $25 per item. Needless to say I didn't get anything that time. Anyone else have stories or comments about this. EDIT: Former Detroit Lions runningback Billy Sims is there the same day...$7 autograph Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kkktookmybabyaway 0 Report post Posted November 14, 2003 I'll take a handshake over an autograph any time. Charles Barkley said it best regarding this subject (paraphrasing). "I don't know who the bigger asshole is -- the athlete selling his autograph for $50 or the fan willing to buy it..." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Slayer 0 Report post Posted November 14, 2003 $60.00 - PER inscription, up to 10 Characters ONLY Makes sense to me, after all, don't you know how hard it is for athletes to write cohesive sentences that aren't their own name? Former Detroit Lions runningback Billy Sims is there the same day...$7 autograph I'd want my picture with him, especially if he breaks out the mega-fro for old times sake: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bruiser Chong 0 Report post Posted November 14, 2003 That reminds me of when the Lions made their home here while doing their training camp for a couple seasons. I believe the first year was 1997 and my brother and mom had been going there everyday to get autographs at the autograph booths. Anyway, the day Sanders was there, I decided to tag along and of course the line was immense. He finally showed up after like an hour of waiting, and then there was another hour of waiting to get to the front of the line. I should note that my brother had been ahead of me in line, because by time we got up to the front, I had some how gotten ahead of him and low and behold, as soon as they let me up to the table to get his autograph, the guy running the whole thing said, "All right, that's the last one." So to sum it up, I got Sanders' autograph after only going to the training camp that day, while my brother, who had been going everyday and getting signatures from nobodys, got the shaft, by being the first in line when they finally cut the signing off, and Barry left. Needless to say, I got bitched out by both my mom and brother for what seemed like an enternity and finally just gave my brother the damn poster that I had gotten signed. It didn't mean that much to me, and besides, Barry was an ass. He didn't even say one word to anyone who was getting his autograph. Total prick. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
starvenger 0 Report post Posted November 14, 2003 Cripes, that's more than the going rate for William Shatner's autograph ($70-90, and you don't actually get to meet him, or get your item personalized). Anyways, given the athletes involved, I guess this was in Michigan? I'm sure that the prices would go down in other areas. Question: Did you have to buy (prepay for) an "autograph ticket" or was it cash at the table? I ask because a prepay generally means that the trade center paid a guaranteed amount to Barry and is trying to recoup their investment. Cash at the table... well, duh. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Slingshot Suplex 0 Report post Posted November 14, 2003 Assuming that it's at Gibralter Trade Center....autograph tickets can usually be purchased in advance or the day of the signing at a booth in the building. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Jay Z. Hollywood Report post Posted November 14, 2003 http://www.bruce-campbell.com/babblings/ed...graph-thing.htm Not sports related, but I think Bruce makes a great point about autographs here. Personally, I find photographs to be way cooler. Much more personalized. I've got pics with various indy guys, Bret Hart, Rob Schneider, and some NFL guys, and I treasure those way more than the autographs I've got. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Youth N Asia 0 Report post Posted November 14, 2003 Assuming that it's at Gibralter Trade Center....autograph tickets can usually be purchased in advance or the day of the signing at a booth in the building. Yeah, I don't remember which one though. Wonder what the turn out will be. It's this weekend. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PsychoDriver 0 Report post Posted November 14, 2003 $109.00 - Flat (up to 11x14) $139.00 - Flat over 11x14, Mini Helmets, Footballs $159.00 - Helmets, Jerseys, #'s, Equipment, Artwork INSCRIPTIONS: $60.00 - PER inscription, up to 10 Characters ONLY Wow, that is truly insane. No one still living's autograph should be worth that much. I remember getting Frank Thomas' autograph back in 1992 (when he was VERY popular) for $15. Which I thought was alot back then.. but how times have changed. Greed is horrible thing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
razazteca 0 Report post Posted November 15, 2003 Has anybody seen the ESPN Outside the Lines show about autograph conventions? It's big business, its not about a meeting your hero anymore, it's about selling the autographs on Ebay now. I would rather have a picture with the star myself. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EVIL~! alkeiper 0 Report post Posted November 16, 2003 I have a hat I take to Red Barons games (Phillies affiliate) and I collect autographs on it. That's the extent of my collecting. No one autograph is really worth going out of my way for. I'll never sell them in any case. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
starvenger 0 Report post Posted November 17, 2003 Has anybody seen the ESPN Outside the Lines show about autograph conventions? It's big business, its not about a meeting your hero anymore, it's about selling the autographs on Ebay now. I would rather have a picture with the star myself. Yeah, at a recent Sci-Fi con in Dallas some guy dropped $300 for around autographs from Anthony Daniels. While I'm sure he was also a fan I'm also just as sure that a lot of those autographs went on eBay that week. And while I love getting photos with celebs, I also like getting autographs. More often than not I get them personalized, be it glossy photos, posters or whatever. Speaking of autographs, I'm going to the SmackDown! taping tomorrow (Houston Toyota Center). Any suggestions as to how I go about getting autographs/photos there? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
