Is the autograph on its way out?

[Maggot]

the big thing to collect was hair.

A Brent Burns beard hair card would be epic.

Cards may be on their way out, but autographs aren't going anywhere.

[Devlin]

You need to sign your name on so many documents throughout your entire life.

North American schools are not rich enough to put a computer / tablet / ipad in each childs hands when they start to do anything that requires a pad and pen.

There is no way, in our lifetime, our childrens lifetime, their childrens lifetime .... and beyond that .... that writing will be extinct.

Exactly

[cardscardscards]

Thumbprints

LOL
That's exactly what I was gonna say.
I can already see the fine print behind the cart... The card was fingered in the presence of a company representative or sent from, and certified as to its authenticity by <INSERT NAME>.

[30ranfordfan]

I'd be really surprised if autographs were "done" in the next 20 years.

Don't use the terms "writing" and "cursive" interchangeably. Kids don't learn cursive anymore. I suspect that's a direct cause of the degradation of the quality in athletes signatures....

Here's a sample of Crosby's (who is regarded as having a nice looking one):




The 'S' at the start resembles a cursive S... the rest? There's nothing cursive about it. Not knowing cursive doesn't mean you won't be able to sign your name.

I do believe that the signature, as something that's required in society (i.e. having to sign your name on some kind of document) has less than 20 years of life left.

[redwingsfan11]

I do believe autographs will always be around in some capacity, even with the degradation in cursive writing amongst our youth. I think 30ranfordfan brings up a great observation, that in a way Crosby's signature is more of a stylized form of "writing" or a stylized emulation of cursive without it technically spelling out every letter of his name. I believe that is where we would be headed in the autograph industry; stylization over technical cursive legibility. I am fine with that because I can't place blame on our youth to try to innately perform a task they were never taught. As long as you don't give me your initials like "JB" for jamie benn (understandable from Jamie's perspective as he has to sign so much like others but just chose an easier route), then I am fine.

I also want to say another thing, to sort put a positive light on this. I was once an autograph only guy when it came to collecting, my signature is indicative of my initial path in the hobby. But as time has gone by, I really have gone to re-appreciate the design aspect of a card. For example, being that this is 2017 and not 2000, I know that I can't afford to have every single Anthony Mantha rookie year auto, so I buy what aesthetically pleases me and more often than not I find myself gravitating towards cards like OPC platinum (love seismic golds) and Precious Metal gems (PMG's). Hopefully we start moving toward a time where design places an equal importance compared to autographs.

[creasecollector]

Not to take this thread in another direction, but I can also appreciate different designs on cards as well. The ones you listed are really beautiful designed cards. Even if both did have an auto on them, both classified in the autographed card category, I would still appreciate them differently simply based on the design.

I think a lot of collectors are like that, seeing as how we can pick up the same type of cards from the same player, yet enjoy them all the same. :)

[jim bradt]

As long as the player can scribble something on a card that you cant even read they will consider it an autograph.

[Billy Kingsley]

I think autographs will be around a long, long time. People say we are headed towards a "cashless society" but how do they verify if the credit card you are using is really yours? By checking the signature on the back.

[RGM81]

I think that unless UD or another manufacturer creates a card that so greatly surpasses the autograph card we will always see them in some format.

They may get increasingly limited as it's somewhat apparent that a lot of players do not like signing cards. Almost everyone that isn't a Rookie saw a noticeable drop in the number of available signatures these past two seasons.

[Cunnuc]

Autographs will always be around, for sure. Cursive writing won't be to most so you will see a lot of just initials, some might even be stylish. Notice how some of the better players at least make an effort and have a uniquely stylish signature. I mean, look at the evolution of Carey Price's signature.

I am hoping a lot more players get a lot more limited amount of signatures per year to make them more collectible and increase in value.

I really like a rookie who already has a unique signature. I enjoy the autographs of those who make an effort. I don't enjoy that there are thousands of autos for rookies each year.