What do you Consider a Success?

[jerseyman1992]

It may just be me, but it seems like whenever I look through the TTM Manager people have listed successes that really don't qualify as a success.

For my own definition I label a success anything in which I get my cards back signed and that I believe that they are authentic. So stamps, obvious ghostsigns and autopens are all failures. I will say anything back that is authentically signed but not my own item a semi-success.

The other thing that annoys me is when people get a pre-printed postcard and call it a success. I mean if I was in the hobby of TTM postcards, for sure its a great success, but last time I checked the hobby is TTM Autographs.

Maybe this is just me and I need to vent but if it's not actually signed its not a success. Am I wrong here? What do the other people feel a success is?

[cyberer]

I'm with you there, I only disagree about the semisuccess part- if the only way this player can take the time to sign my mail is by sending other items back, or by making a huge pile of cards and giving 1 per envelope and not keep track of who signs what, then I am totally 100% calling it a success.

I think this was probably sparked by the laughable Mike Schmidt "successes" which are anything but. I agree that when I look in the manager I want to see only real autos as success.

The problem is that there is some disagreement on the authenticity (Favre, Shaq, etc.), but guys like Yount, Schmidt, etc that ghostsign or AP we should not call successes IMO.

[arfmax]

Personally, I don't question whether it is authentic or not. I know that there are a lot of collectors who 'know' that something is ghost-signed, but I do not believe it. A stamp or autopen is not a success to me, as I am only looking for something hand-signed. If I send two cards, and the athlete swaps one with another card, it is still a success, although it is frustrating, as I usually pick out specific cards that I want signed when I send them, either for a set, or because I like the photo, etc.

-arfmax

[indyreds]

I agrre that a success is an authentic signed item returned to me. I do not care, if it is the item I sent or something else that has a real signature on it. I considered a signed business card from Bill Bucker as an success even though he sent my card back unsigned! The autos that are definate preprints and auto pens should not be called a success. The thing is that we should not be the one making that distinction and the person posting should! How wrong would it be for SCF staff to go change a posted success to a nonsuccess post on a player like Shaq? They are definate not a autopen or preprint! They are hand signed, but some folks dispute they are signed by him! Some swear they are real! They looked good enough to me that I mailed to him and did get one personalized as requested? I understand you not wanting to waste stamps on a stamp, ghost or preprint. Hopefully the poster who recorded the previous success gave it a good look when they posted their results!

[Oxxon]

If I get something back its a success. I don't worry about real, ghost, PP, AP. Life is too short to worry about that.

Remember, unless you were standing right there next to the person signing your card/pic you really don't know if its real or not. So, why worry.....

[REDANDGOLDPRIDE]

If I get my item, or an item they send instead that is signed by them it's a success.

PP, AP, and obviously price list failures all qualify as failures in my book.

[RockiesFan33]

Success is a subjective word, so I think we should be mindful of how different collectors interpret it. A success to some might only be an autograph on the item that they sent with the requested inscription and signed in the pen that the collector sent along. I've seen collectors consider a return not signed in their own pen a failure! To another collector, a success might be that they simply got something back from the signer, even if it's his own item returned unsigned.

I understand that it can be frustrating when you see someone post a "success" when all they received is a pre-printed photo, but that still can be considered a success based on the definition of the collector.