George Armstrong Autographs

[781Rangers]

Hello all, just a curiosity question here, why are there so few George Armstrong certified autograph cards available? Usually when older hall of famers pass later in life they do a number of signings at different times and I can find very few for him.

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[RGM81]

You are not joking. I looked through the Inventory and he's only got 17 certified autograph cards, many of which appear to be cut autos and all but one are numbered /9 or less (usually /1 or /2).

Some guys just don't have any interest in the hobby, and may not need the money. You'd think that someone as prestigious as Armstrong would be sought after by the companies, and for all we know they did make a number of attempts over the years, but ultimately if the player isn't interested, then there's not much they can do.

[30ranfordfan]

to @RGM81 's point: I'm pretty sure all of the ones that do exist (even the one /9) are cut autos.

My understanding is that wouldn't sign cards, period. He was a willing signer (paper, index cards, photos) but not cards. I met him once in the 1990s (Leafs training camp, in Kitchener). He did sign an autograph for me (on paper).

I remember hearing at somepoint, that he signed a bunch of cards for family, and that was it. The intent was that after he died, they'd be worth a lot of money. I suspect he's correct.

Looking at eBay, there are a few signed cards of him available (PSA certified) but certainly not many.

[Bimola]

I’m lucky to have grabbed this one - they are definitely hard to come by!




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[ravens_creed]

Sorry to play thread necro here, but George had a reputation for being very selective about who he signed for and on what. It's true that he avoided signing cards, as well as signing things for adults, as he didn't want to contribute to other people's profit making. He was happy to sign for kids, however. Ultimately, very very few autos of his to be found in the hobby, and as others have pointed out, I have only ever seen things like cut autos, or 1/1 lumbergraphs and such.

[30ranfordfan]

Sorry to play thread necro here, but George had a reputation for being very selective about who he signed for and on what. It's true that he avoided signing cards, as well as signing things for adults, as he didn't want to contribute to other people's profit making. He was happy to sign for kids, however. Ultimately, very very few autos of his to be found in the hobby, and as others have pointed out, I have only ever seen things like cut autos, or 1/1 lumbergraphs and such.

That's a different spin on what I'd heard (back in the 90s) - but actually seems more reasonable.

I can see players (retired, or otherwise) hating the idea of signing an autograph, so you can turn around and sell it. I always thought the "it will be worth lots, when I did" idea to be a bit odd..... though if he did sign a large stack of cards for his family, and they slowly started selling them off now - they probably would get a very nice sum for them.

[doniceage]

That's a different spin on what I'd heard (back in the 90s) - but actually seems more reasonable.

I can see players (retired, or otherwise) hating the idea of signing an autograph, so you can turn around and sell it. I always thought the "it will be worth lots, when I did" idea to be a bit odd..... though if he did sign a large stack of cards for his family, and they slowly started selling them off now - they probably would get a very nice sum for them.

I truly doubt it would be as much as you think looking at what he cut auto's go for. Unless your nice sum different from my thought of a nice sum.

Don

[30ranfordfan]

I truly doubt it would be as much as you think looking at what he cut auto's go for. Unless your nice sum different from my thought of a nice sum.

Don

I'm thinking of autographed cards, specifically.

He never signed for any card company, so what's available on the market is limited to Cuts, or the odd IP autograph. He's a Hall-Of-Famer, and Stanley Cup Winning Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs. My impression is that his signature is on a lot of people's want lists, and specifically on cards.

If he (for example) put away a stack of 1000 hockey cards he signed for his family - IMO, the thing to do with them would be to have them slabbed / authenticated by PSA - but have something like "The George Armstrong Estate" added as part of the label (like what you see with signed cards from "The Dan Fox Collection").

Once that's done, slowly release them for sale (don't want to flood the market all at once). I bet they'd be able to average more than $200 per card, and an easy way to make a few hundred thousand dollars.

[doniceage]

I'm thinking of autographed cards, specifically.

He never signed for any card company, so what's available on the market is limited to Cuts, or the odd IP autograph. He's a Hall-Of-Famer, and Stanley Cup Winning Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs. My impression is that his signature is on a lot of people's want lists, and specifically on cards.

If he (for example) put away a stack of 1000 hockey cards he signed for his family - IMO, the thing to do with them would be to have them slabbed / authenticated by PSA - but have something like "The George Armstrong Estate" added as part of the label (like what you see with signed cards from "The Dan Fox Collection").

Once that's done, slowly release them for sale (don't want to flood the market all at once). I bet they'd be able to average more than $200 per card, and an easy way to make a few hundred thousand dollars.

Perhaps some planning on all fronts. Planning on saving a 1000 auto’s, then the slow release to get max dollars, etc.

Don