Autographed card find from thrift store

[Thick McRunfast]

Welcome to SCF, and congratulations! Very cool find.

If you think you might want to trade or sell some of those cards, please post a list of what you have. I'm sure a lot of SCF members would be interested.

[30ranfordfan]

If all the signed cards were part of the same set.... probably someone was trying to get an entire set signed.

Like you said, there probably isn't a ton of value in there.... but you might find some interested people if you're looking to move them. Superstars like Gretzky, Roy, Lemieux would probably do okay, there's lots of rookies in that set (of bigger name players), other HOFers. Might also find that you've got a rare signature or two in there? Some guys from that era are tough to find signatures from, period.

[duskglow]

Welcome to SCF, and congratulations! Very cool find.

If you think you might want to trade or sell some of those cards, please post a list of what you have. I'm sure a lot of SCF members would be interested.

There is a small pile of autographed duplicates, those I will be putting up for sale or trade as soon as I figure out how this site works.

Thanks for the welcome!

[duskglow]

If all the signed cards were part of the same set.... probably someone was trying to get an entire set signed.

Like you said, there probably isn't a ton of value in there.... but you might find some interested people if you're looking to move them. Superstars like Gretzky, Roy, Lemieux would probably do okay, there's lots of rookies in that set (of bigger name players), other HOFers. Might also find that you've got a rare signature or two in there? Some guys from that era are tough to find signatures from, period.

Most of the signed cards were from the same set. A few are from the '91 Pro Set, and there are a few racing cards in there too (!).

What I'll do is categorize all of them this weekend, add them to inventory, and also post a list here of what I have and what's up for trade or sale (if that's allowed). I'll add some images too. Then we'll figure out where to go from there.

I don't expect a lot of value. But, to be honest, I paid thrift store prices for the bag, so it will be really hard to lose money on this. I want fair deals, of course, but there's absolutely no point in being greedy about it. It sounds like from the reply of everyone here there is *some* value to them, though, so I'm setting my expectations accordingly. Which aren't all that high. :-)

Thanks for the reply.

[duskglow]

Hi all, I took the cards to a local dealer, and the results were inconclusive, but he thinks they're fake.

I say they're inconclusive because one of the signatures is plausible, but another looks quite unlike the real signature.

I'll still post some photos a bit later, but at this point it's mostly an exercise in "how to avoid getting scammed" (though since I paid about $7 for the bag, I don't feel scammed at all, just amused).

[creasecollector]

Hi all, I took the cards to a local dealer, and the results were inconclusive, but he thinks they're fake.

I say they're inconclusive because one of the signatures is plausible, but another looks quite unlike the real signature.

I'll still post some photos a bit later, but at this point it's mostly an exercise in "how to avoid getting scammed" (though since I paid about $7 for the bag, I don't feel scammed at all, just amused).

It depends, and since I haven't seen any pictures, I can't say one way or the other. However, a lot of athletes (just like a lot of people) have an "A" signature for signings, sit down sessions with company reps, meet and greets with fans, etc, and then "B" signatures for in-person signatures and TTM stuff as well.

I'm no autograph expert, but just because a signature as a little off or not as crispy as a card they were paid to sign, doesn't necessarily means it's a fake.

Heck, I know I don't get paid to sign stuff, but my own signature can be very consistent and solid, while other examples it looks like a scribbled wreck, but it's still just as authentic as the nice looking signature.

I mean, would someone really go about faking almost an entire set of cards with each player signature? I highly doubt it, as the collector probably set out to collect a full autographed set or two. I couldn't see someone faking it all themselves. But who knows, maybe their plan was to sell off the entire "autographed set" at once to try and make some money (and be super disappointed in their 'investment'), it could happen I guess. I have no idea.

Also, depending on when it was signed, a lot of players change up their autograph at some point during their career. Sometimes it's a huge overhaul in the way it looks, other times it can be very subtle. I've seen it happen first-hand in an athlete, and I also have examples of this in my own PC as well. A gross looking signature doesn't necessarily mean it's a fake.

[LecavalierFan]

If there are any superstars or even just bigger names in there, it may be worth it to submit them to a grading service for authentication. PSA has a really good one. That way, if the bigger names come back authentic, it's more likely that the lesser names are real as well.

That being said, I'm going to send you a PM and ask after some of them :)

[duskglow]

If there are any superstars or even just bigger names in there, it may be worth it to submit them to a grading service for authentication. PSA has a really good one. That way, if the bigger names come back authentic, it's more likely that the lesser names are real as well.

That being said, I'm going to send you a PM and ask after some of them :)

Received, and I replied. For full transparency, I consider them kind of "Schroedinger's Cards" right now, as I said privately - they're either of some undefined value or just defaced. I'm going to post photos as soon as I have a chance - this weekend was kinda busy. I was importing a couple of thousand cards into a database, and by the end of the weekend I was sick of seeing cards. :)

This is compounded by the fact that I know little about hockey (this was purely a find of opportunity) so I don't know about the big names, but the grading suggestion above isn't a bad one. I'm not sure it makes financial sense to do so, but I guess it'd be nice to know, so I'll seriously consider that option.

If I seem hesitant, it's only because I'm not really sure what to do with these. I mean, it'd be nice if they were of some value, but if they are of any value, they're also not replaceable, and that's a big decision!

Well, gotta go to work, I'll catch y'all later. Thanks for the feedback and discussion!

[LecavalierFan]

Received, and I replied. For full transparency, I consider them kind of "Schroedinger's Cards" right now, as I said privately - they're either of some undefined value or just defaced. I'm going to post photos as soon as I have a chance - this weekend was kinda busy. I was importing a couple of thousand cards into a database, and by the end of the weekend I was sick of seeing cards. :)

This is compounded by the fact that I know little about hockey (this was purely a find of opportunity) so I don't know about the big names, but the grading suggestion above isn't a bad one. I'm not sure it makes financial sense to do so, but I guess it'd be nice to know, so I'll seriously consider that option.

If I seem hesitant, it's only because I'm not really sure what to do with these. I mean, it'd be nice if they were of some value, but if they are of any value, they're also not replaceable, and that's a big decision!

Well, gotta go to work, I'll catch y'all later. Thanks for the feedback and discussion!

Thanks, I look forward to some pics :)

As for the bigger names, off the top of my head from that year are Gretzky, Lemieux, Hull, Roy, and rookies of Mogilny, Roenick, Belfour, and probably others that I am blanking on for reasons. If you have any of those guys, I would definitely suggest getting at least one of them authenticated. If it comes back legit, get some of the others done as well. If not, well, only had to pay for one of them, which isn't a huge loss overall.

[duskglow]

Thanks, I look forward to some pics :)

As for the bigger names, off the top of my head from that year are Gretzky, Lemieux, Hull, Roy, and rookies of Mogilny, Roenick, Belfour, and probably others that I am blanking on for reasons. If you have any of those guys, I would definitely suggest getting at least one of them authenticated. If it comes back legit, get some of the others done as well. If not, well, only had to pay for one of them, which isn't a huge loss overall.

That is not a bad idea and it would be good to know. Are there recommended services? I've never sent cards to be graded or verified before, and don't really know what to expect.