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Why would anyone want this sticker on their photo?

This is my pet peeve about TPA stickers. On the back is just fine. Owning a Tom Petty signed photo would be a nice edition to any collection. Why deface the photo with a their sticker on the front?

It's fine that it's authenticated but these services are so self serving with their sticker placement. Makes the piece worth less, IMO.

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Permalink Reply by Stepeanut on October 25, 2021 at 11:59pm

I wouldn’t. The sticker is a major turn-off, for me.

I’ve never used one of these TPA services myself, and I can’t envisage a scenario where I would want to. If I don’t have faith in an autograph, then I will look for another, better example, with better provenance.

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Permalink Reply by Dan Morris on October 26, 2021 at 12:51am

That is sacrilege! Such a great image, why not sticker on the back!!??

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Permalink Reply by Steve Zarelli on October 26, 2021 at 5:39am

Unfortunate placement and it lessens eye appeal in my opinion. I prefer stickers on the back, or better yet a full letter with no sticker required.

Regrettably, there are plenty of sports and entertainment collectors who feel that displaying the sticker prominently is essential. There is no accounting for taste apparently.

Historical collectors tend to frown upon modern stickers on vintage photos and other items. It's considered defacement of the item.

Q: How do you turn a $4,000 Neil Armstrong signed NASA lithograph into a $3,000 one?

A: Put a sticker on the front.

The stickers can be carefully removed from glossy photographs, but they cannot be safely removed from lithographs and other items with a non porous surface.

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Permalink Reply by Rich on October 26, 2021 at 8:12am

Probably the same brand of people who think hacking a Babe Ruth game used jersey to pieces for a cheesy sports card gimmick makes for a great collectible.

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Permalink Reply by Joe W. on October 26, 2021 at 8:18am

I agree. Greed does not care what it destroys for a buck.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Zarelli on October 26, 2021 at 8:42am

I don’t see it as being greed. To me it’s a misplaced sense of importance. To some collectors and dealers, the sticker is just as important as the autograph. And some of these collectors and dealers are fervently brand loyal. To them, authentication company X is the greatest and everyone else sucks. Those are the people most likely to have a giant sticker plastered on the front of the item.