Sports autographs
and celebrity autographs are especially wanted.
I have been collecting, buying and selling sports autographs for over 20 years. There are numerous ways to collect sports autographs. People collect their favorite team(s), people collect their favorite player(s). Many people collect to sustain childhood memories. Hall of Famers in various sports are in great demand. Many people collect for investment purposes.
CLICK FOR INFORMATION ABOUT GETTING AUTOGRAPHS AUTHENTICATED. You can also read about the work I have done with government agencies to help convict and expose forgers.
When people ask me what they should buy, I always tell them to buy what they like. I never like to forecast the sports autographs marketplace. I don't know what will happen to prices in the future, though in the past they have virtually always sustained increases. Buy what you like and enjoy. That is what I do in my personal collection. If the value increases, fine. If it does not, I still enjoy what I have. I collect the teams I root for and the players whom I have enjoyed seeing. I collect to revive childhood memories of the Polo Grounds, Willie Mays, the Giants, the Mets, the glory days of the New York Knicks, the Super Bowl championship of the New York Jets and the wonderful year of 1994, the Stanley Cup for the New York Rangers. Sports autographs have provided me with a lot of fun and enjoyment as well as a living. But I collect to enjoy what I have. I have many items hanging on my walls, framed in acid free matting. I have many signed baseballs on my shelves in two of the five rooms of my apartment. I truly enjoy collecting sports autographs. Always remember that when you buy something, you are buying it to enjoy it.
Unfortunately the plague upon the sports autographs marketplace has been the forger. Ranging from the very heavy set unsophisticated forger in Brooklyn, New York who is now deceased to the much more sophisticated Marino family ring of forgers in California (they were arrested by the FBI and some of the family are still in prison), these fast buck artists have continued to view sports autographs as easy pickings. Even though their forgeries took place years ago, there forgeries still plague the marketplace. I just saw one yesterday, June 19, 2005. I suggest you be extremely thorough in your own work when buying sports autographs. Make sure the dealer is a member of a professional dealers association. Make sure the dealer will honor a money back guarantee. DO NOT BUY if the price seems too good to be true. Sports autographs are widely collected. There are rarely bargains available in the marketplace, especially when it comes to rare sports autographs. Forgery sellers on the internet try to offer their sports autographs at seemingly bargain prices. However it is not a bargain when you are buying a worthless item. I suggest you read my "tips" page by clicking this link and you will obtain some more valuable information.
Click here for more valuable reading.
I also suggest reading as much as you can about your hobby. There are some fine publications available, including Beckett Collectibles Monthly. (a plug here, I write their montly autograph column). Join the UACC or the IACA. These groups are fine organizations and issue informative publications for the collector. I have another website where I have a forgery alert page. Write to me at richsprt@aol.com if you are interested in reading this highly informative web page. Most of all enjoy your collecting of sports autographs. A hobby should be for fun and pleasure. Sports autographs can bring the collector much fun and much pleasure. Just be careful out there :).
RICHARD SIMON SPORTS INC.
215 East 80th Street
New York, NY 10075
646-319-7531 (9-5 EST only) - phone
212-288-1445 - fax
richsprt@aol.com
The above address is not a store, please do not drop by unannounced. Thanks very much.