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Authentication for Selling Autographs I obtained?

I was wondering if any of you think it is necessary for me to obtain authentication to verify autographs I obtained years ago? Baseball stars of the 50's, George Reeves, etc..Will appreciate any ideas on this as I am new to this...especially selling...thanks for any help.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Zarelli on April 6, 2012 at 3:02pm

I think RR gets strong prices in sports as well. It all depends what kinds of baseball. REA is the auction house for super rare and pricey items. But if you are talking about run-of-the-mill 50s material, RR would be very strong.

Disclaimer: I consult with RR so I am not totally objective. :-)

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Permalink Reply by Karen E. Owens on April 6, 2012 at 8:57pm

Mr. Zipper, would any of the 50's baseball stars listed above in my reply to Steve qualify as super rare and pricey?

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Permalink Reply by Karen E. Owens on April 6, 2012 at 9:45pm

Just thought maybe for starters it's best to use my latest Sander's Price guide to sports Autographs after alphabetizing the list.. Please let me know if you agree.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Zarelli on April 7, 2012 at 5:23am

No. There are some good names, but signatures in an album isn't going to command super high prices. For vintage sigs in an album, I'd go with RR or Richard Simon.

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Permalink Reply by Mike P on April 7, 2012 at 5:43am

Definitely send the cards to PSA/DNA for grading. People just don't pay top dollar, they have to be slabbed for people to actually shell out top dollar. I personally do not like the auction houses....mainly because you run the risk of having to accept half of what you want for the item due to a lack of interest in the auction. Plus fees are always a pain. You wouldn't have trouble selling the Jackie Robinson, but it depends on the medium he signed on. I would say sports autographs is best if you sell it yourself through sites like eBay and such, but autographs like George Reeves is good for auction since it's more specific to one genre; it's rarity might make it a doubtful piece on eBay without authentication.

Basically, cards and sports autos get PSA'd/other, and George Reeves send to auction house.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Zarelli on April 7, 2012 at 6:33am

It depends if the goal is to maximize price or if it is to get a good price and be done with it.

The grading, slabbing DIY route may get a few more bucks, but it very time intensive, you have go worry about lost packages, returns, etc. In many cases, the cost of authentication will outweigh the value of the item. For a novice, it's a lot easier to mail the whole lot off, collect a check, and let the auction house deal with headaches.

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Permalink Reply by Mike P on April 7, 2012 at 9:39am

This is true, in my experience sports auto's go for a little more when I sell myself though. It's funny you mention time intensive for PSA/any other 3rd party because it is very true. Add annoying/confusing to that list if you are a novice to authentication. The whole insurance shipping and price chart matching with "declared value" was like hieroglyphics to me in the beginning. Took a couple of trial and errors, but it all works out in the end; in the beginning it can be confusing, because if you put insufficient return shipping, put a card in top-loader, fill out wrong auth. price, etc. it could end up taking a long time, RTS's, and many trips to the post office. (Yes, all of that happened to me hahaha....)

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Permalink Reply by Chris G on April 7, 2012 at 1:53pm

Listen, let's just simplify the whole matter- send me that George Reeves, I'll send you an Al Roker and say...hmm...alright- a Kathy Lee Gifford!. I may even have that chick from Buffy The Vampire Slayer to toss in and sweeten the pot. I for one think that's a pretty good deal and this way you won't have to deal with those awful R&R people. Don't thank me. That's just the way I roll.