Bad Autos: Why don't Card Companies Fight Back?

[Seablazer]

I am really starting to wonder what some athletes, and sports companies are thinking when it comes to their auto cards...

See, my gripe is with players that don't take signing seriously, and I love to use Vernand Morency as my case study since he is the one player I'd like to smack up side the head...

For instance, you have just spent $650-700 for a pack of Exquisite football and you pull this card:
Morency
This is just one of many cards he has signed and they are all the same... There are many basketball and football players that do this. Baseball and Hockey both don't have this problem to the extent the others do...

Why do the card companies not fight back against this crap and tell the signer that unless they get a proper signature for each label, they are risking losing their contract and any money they might get from the signing...

I would love to see players that can't sign their name blacklisted and never have an auto until they are able to sign at least something halfway legible... Some people don't care, but unless the card is a like a "nicknames" card, I don't want to see V.. I want to see Vernand Morency or close to it...

I understand players have to sign a lot of cards, but they should at least try... I can not tell you how many Angel Berroa auto cards I've seen, but they are all complete signatures... His rookie year, he had 13 different auto cards with 4 of those being over 1000... ALL are legible... The same goes for David Wright, Wayne Gretzky, etc.

I'm just pissed because people spend good money on these packs and half the time you pull a card with a barely legible auto or a mark that means nothing...

Things have got to change....

[vikingfan101]

Definitely agree with you. But honestly, card companies dont care. It fills there packs, and pockets for that matter, so they have nothing to fight against. As long as its filling those two things, they figure theres nothing to worry about. Sure, we all hate those kinda autos, but what can we do? Im sure the card companies dont care, or they would have done something, right?

[WilyWestbrook0]

The focus is on the source of the scribble, not the style of calligraphy.

[soxrox6892]

at a game is one thing, ur signing for free


but, come on they are being paid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[gottagitdemjs]

Actually UD did get on Lebron and Ben Gordon among others about thier signatures. During Lebron's rookie year he signed a few cards with what looked like the number "23" and nothing else (It was actually LJ, but it just looked like 23)....most notedly his SP signature insert card. Ben Gordon signed most of his UD auto cards with a large BG his rookie year. He has since started adding a squiggly line after the B and G....check out his SP authentic rookie...absolutely pathetic.

[kr580]

Neither parties care enough about the end consumer to force pretty autos.

Players get paid.
Companies get autographed products.
And collectors will still buy the product for the chance to get a good card. You're not thinking "I'm 100% sure I'll pull a Morency auto. Yuck!" or else you would never buy packs again. Also, once you open the product you can't return it because of a lazy signature.

So, again, players get paid, companies get product, consumers buy the product, companies get money.

[Ravenous52]

I hope thats not your Morrency Exquisite....LOL

If so, my condolences....

Here is another 2 players who are big stars, but their autos are terrible
Vick and Jamal Lewis....I have 30 different Jamal Lewis Autos,and only 2(!!!!) of them offer more than a super sloppy JL31- sometimes you get a - above the L....

As for Vick- The MV7 is terrible, and Ive rarely seen the "michael" look anything like michael. For what his stuff goes for and how respected he is, he should put his brothers name on it too!!

[TheTGB]

They should make them sign the way they sign their checks. That's just my opinion.

[bmoy88]

The worst part of this kind of a signature is that he probably has one of his "gofers" making these tick marks for him!!

[coconap]

my biggest single player complaint other than ben gordon is al jefferson. I collect his autos cause i am a big fan of his but i hate the 'big al' autograph.