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Bernie Taupin signed book.. should I cut?

apologies if this does not belong here. I figured I'd ask in this thread since Taupin is just as much a part of Eltons music as Elton is..

I recently acquired a book signed by Bernie "The One Who Writes The Words". It is my 2nd Taupin autograph. The other being a JSA authenticated check. One of these will go into a collection im constantly putting together for my daughter. The other is for me to keep. Im thinking about cutting the signature out of the book and matting with an Elton signature since im most likely keeping the book for myself. I have a small collection of signed books but 90% of the books in my collection, I cut the autographs out. Im not a fan of having an autograph hidden inside a book ill only read once. The books I collect for my daughter are remaining uncut as to let her make her own decision in the future.

Im wondering if there is a good reason not to cut out this signature? If I decide to sell my collection on 30 years for retirement money or whatever, will I regret not having this signature in the book?

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Permalink Reply by Jason H on March 29, 2022 at 4:07pm

I wouldnt consider myself a newbie. Ive been collecting autographs since 1991 starting with Chicago Cubs players who drove down my street after games as a shortcut to the expressway. I do have many many years of collecting left in me though so maybe my views will still change.

I'm also not a reseller. I did sell part of my collection years ago to pay for college bills. I really regret a few of them... Also, i do put a value on my autographs for the future, weather its emergency or retirement money. Does the idea that I may one day down the road sell my collection, make me a reseller? I dont think so because I want to avoid it unless absolutely necessary.

I dont want to get too involved in item specifics or pictures just yet as I do not want to stray from the original topic but thank you for your opinion regardless. It will be a big factor in making my decision. As long as all angles are discussed, I know ill be happy with the outcome.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on March 29, 2022 at 4:19pm

Sorry. I never meant YOU were a newbie, I said the people choosing and overpaying for cuts are newbies. I don't know anyone in here who collects cuts, except for resale or because they are lower priced than an SP for the collector on a tight budget. Many start out with cuts - after a certain time they want SP's, TLS, ANS and so on, having acquired a taste for more than a signed slip of paper with no context or even date.

Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on March 29, 2022 at 5:25pm

The only cuts I see people here regularly pursue are Hendrix, Beatles, Morrison, Joplin and the like.

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Permalink Reply by Joe W. on March 29, 2022 at 5:28pm

The world is a big place, Eric. Plenty of room for everyone. People buy cut signatures of many different celebrities. To each their own.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on March 29, 2022 at 5:32pm

Of course, but Jason wanted full exploration and discussion of the idea so someone has to advocate for the book (pro bono).

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on March 30, 2022 at 4:12am

The book is a 1976 edition? I just checked RACC - out of 2 long pages of EJ listings there are only 2 cuts - both about 1/3 the asking price of anything else.

I also read this book is nearly imossible to find signed by Taupin - have you nread that? Is that so?

Permalink Reply by Jason H on March 29, 2022 at 1:27pm

I will keep that in mind. Thank you for the offer. I may keep this regardless though. If I do not cut the signature, it makes more sense to get it authenticated and switch autographs with my daughters collection. I would mat the check with an elton signature instead.

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Permalink Reply by Jason H on March 29, 2022 at 5:48pm

Gotcha, haha I missunderstood but I know you meant it with good intentions. Just want to stress that I know what I like and happy with my collection so far. I used to collect signed baseballs and bats.. completely stopped collecting sports after realizing 90% of them only meant something to me while they were playing.. collecting large items gets bulky fast. I guess I associate "context" with unnecessary bulk these days. I want to keep collecting but also be responsible in terms of size and area the collection takes up inside my home.

In the end, it boils down to saving space and being organized with my collection. Those 2 things have become extremely important to me within the past 10 years. I want to be able to see my signatures and reminisce. Im not going to pull out an entire bulky collection of books every time I want to go through my collection. I really have no use for a book after I have read it so to me it becomes bulk. Im going to let everything you said sink in for a few days before deciding. Its all really great info and a great perspective to think about.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on March 29, 2022 at 2:09pm

I guess I go back to your initial comment - "...Taupin is just as much a part of Eltons music as Elton is....." Bernie wrote all this down in a book - to trash him and just keep the signature seems shortsighted to me. No matter how you slice it cutting is rarely called for. If something is in danger that's one thing.

Where did you get the book and when? What is it's current value? If you don't know don't cut for sure.