Reliance on third-party authentication has taken on a new meaning in recent times.  Some collectors will simply not consider purchasing an autograph without proof that it has received a passing grade from one of the respectable services available.  There is also the great debate over stickers.  Do collectors prefer them?  Do collectors not prefer them?  Should they be affixed to the front or back of a photo?  Should they be affixed to the actual item, or to a Letter…

As autograph collectors, most of us remember our first purchase.  If we do not, we remember the first purchase of our favorite person’s autograph.  At the time of that purchase, we probably did not expect to add additional autographs of that same person to our collection.  Why would we?  The purchase of a single autograph was an accomplished mission.

In most hobbies, the question of what people collect is often asked.  The question asked of autograph collectors is often more…

I was visiting my son in Los Angeles in February.  We were driving through Burbank, when I heard a song on the radio that had a very familiar sound.  “Is this a new Ozzy song?” I thought to myself.  Then, as if he was reading my mind, my son said, “Dad, this is the new Ozzy song.”  I immediately reserved my vinyl copy of Ordinary Man at a local record store in Sherman Oaks, called Freakbeat Records.  The owner was a pleasure to deal with.  I could not wait to listen to the full…

COVID-19 may change our hobby forever.

We all know how difficult it is to procure the autographs of James Dean, Marilyn Monroe and Jim Morrison.  The unfortunate reason for the difficulty is that their tragic deaths have prevented them from signing the number of autographs that they would have if they had lived for many years.

Consider our current situation.  Comic conventions and social distancing are mutually exclusive.  Anyone who has ever attended New York Comic Con can…