Autograph Stickers

[trampus]

One thing I've noticed about cards that don't use stickers, alot of them are just an autographed variation of some other card from the set. Don't get me wrong, I like the look of the on-card autos better, I just don't think I'd buy one without seeing the back first.

[justpete23]

most of the 05-06 sp game used signifigance Yao Ming and Andrei Kirilenko sticker autos are reveresed, meaning Yaos card has a Kirilenko auto sticker on it and visa versa.

[Fordman7795]

I was just talking to my GF about this yesterday. I have a very nice tayshaun topps pristine auto where its directly on the plastic card. and then i complaining to her how i dont like the sticker autos on the finest. i probably wont buy another sticker auto, i just dont like them

[S.A.M.]

Tutall,

I believe Topps guarantees that one of their employees has witnessed the signing of the card by the specified athlete. But Upper Deck doesn't, they send out the cards and the athlete sends them back. I'm not sure what Donruss does.

Personally, I don't have a preference of sticker vs. on-card. What does bother me, and someone else said this, is when the sticker is embedded in the card and the viewable area is not large enough to fit the whole auto, Donruss does this a ton!

[LakersMC]

No doubt most everyone likes "on card" autographs over stickers. But one of the reasons stickers came into play was to reduce the amount of redemptions. Before, they had to print the cards, send them to players, and hope he sends them back in time for pack production. Now they send the sheet of stickers earlier with more time before pack production.

I think a lot of us would prefer stickers over redemptions, when you look at it that way. Right?

[DeWittFootball20]

I personally like the look of the sticker on some cards. And about the other people signer for poeple I know that some people do have people sign for them. I know this because my dad used to buy products for his work from TJ Ducketts Brother, Tico (who was also a great RB at Michigan State) and I was gunna give him some balls to get signed by Vick, well he told my dad that I probably wouldnt even get his real auto cuz he has alot of people that sign for him.

[bostonwayno]

This is a good thread. Great topic.

I dont care for the stickers and have been shifting my personal auto collection in the direction of "on the card" instead. I would be more likely to trade one of my autos if they are on a sticker than without.

Besides that, some of the mystique of pulling an auto is knowing that that player held that very card while he signed it. It's just not as special when they sign the shiny piece of foil that was stuck onto my card, obstructing its image.

[Agent0064life]

What I hate more than the sticker autograph is a sticker serial number. Any punk can get their hands on one of these (or make one easily) and slap it on a card and say it's a 1/1 or whatever they want. I got Jeff Kent UD exclusive with a pack I bought the other day and I encountered this. It kinda ticked me off...

(edit: about the real auto issue, if you want some real auto's go to Devil Rays games, ,most of the players will auto anyone's stuff.)

[Seablazer]

I love all DLP sticker autos, but primarily the ones that are embedded into the cards.. Hate the ones on Top with the DLP stamp.

I also love Topps... The reason why??? Topps guarantees that all of their autos, sticker and on-card are done in front of a Topps rep... To me, this is good...

A sticker doesn't matter to me...

Personally, I have two on auto cards, one a buyback, the other a regular issue... The buyback had a knicked corner out of the pack, and the regular issue had a soft bend to where the signer (Whitey Ford), most likely put pressure on his writing hand to sign...

With stickers, I have had none of the above problems... Plus, the topps and DLP stickers look nice, the Upper deck ones with the little upper deck emblems floating thorugh out it bother me...

[pwaldo]

Tutall,

I believe Topps guarantees that one of their employees has witnessed the signing of the card by the specified athlete. But Upper Deck doesn't, they send out the cards and the athlete sends them back. I'm not sure what Donruss does.

Donruss doesn't have anybody watching them sign just like Upper Deck. Though I question Topps with their new autographs since a majority of them seem to be stickers.

No doubt most everyone likes "on card" autographs over stickers. But one of the reasons stickers came into play was to reduce the amount of redemptions. Before, they had to print the cards, send them to players, and hope he sends them back in time for pack production. Now they send the sheet of stickers earlier with more time before pack production.

I think a lot of us would prefer stickers over redemptions, when you look at it that way. Right?

No the ONLY REASON why stickers came into play is that they cost less money than having players sign cards.

The trend was started by SAGE and none of the other companies really picked up on it until Donruss came back. It saved them money to have the cards on stickers versus the "on card" and that's why all their cards after 2001 in baseball (except for recollection cards) all became "stickers". By doing this the company saves a ton because they can have a guy sign thousands of cards this year on stickers and use them on products for the next several years. Plus if anything happens to a player they can continue making "autograph cards" of a player after they have passed on. Donruss had autographs of some people up to 3 years after they had died inserted into products. Plus its cheaper to just have to mail stickers to a player at the beginning of the year rather than sending him 50 different card sets to sign throughout the season.

The redemption excuse I don't buy.

If it cost the company more money do you honestly think that they would cut into their profits to do it? Nope. They just do it to save themselves a couple of bucks. Just like how Upper Deck saved themselves a couple of bucks by rushing out fake cut autographs rather than taking the time to make sure that they were not fake.

And I don't prefer stickers to autographs.

Why anybody would want a sticker that is autographed and then attached to their card is beyond me? I mean if I got Jordan to sign a sticker and then I stuck it on a jersey or basketball would it suddenly be an autographed jersey or autographed basketball? No it would be a basketball or jersey with an autographed sticker on it.

I honestly don't get why card collectors accept something like that. I mean pack prices go up and then quality goes down. That doesn't make any sense. You falling back on the "its better than redemptions" is stupid because it means that we have to settle for something bad. And the companies will continue to screw collectors over on stuff because they'll just play the redemption card.

If card companies could make huge autograph sets back in 1997-2000 without sticker cards then they should be able to atleast do that today. If they can't then they should do what Fleer did and make an autograph set theme like Autographics and release it in several products. You wouldn't have to do any redemptions for something like that.