Remember the days when an autograph collector could attend a comic convention or a sports collectors convention, and pay one price for an autograph that could be placed on anything collectible?  Premium pricing did not exist.  Whether Mark Hamill autographed an 8x10 photo or a lightsaber, or whether Don Mattingly autographed a baseball card or a baseball bat, the cost was the same.  There was no charge for inscriptions.  Entertainers and athletes were happy to oblige.  What has happened to…

Have you ever considered collecting autograph trading cards?  Perhaps you already do collect them.  Whether you are interested in entertainment or sports, or interested in both, there are many options available to autograph collectors in the realm of autograph trading cards.

The interesting thing about collecting autograph trading cards is that the value of the autograph is not always what determines their actual value.  The value is more often determined by the rarity of the trading…

Ten years ago, Van Halen released A Different Kind of Truth, their first studio album with lead singer David Lee Roth since 1984.  That year, I befriended a coworker who was as much a fan of the band as I was.  His name was Nick, and he had been touring with the band for many years.  Prior to his trip to Louisville, Kentucky, for the first concert of the tour, I asked him if he would be willing to have Eddie Van Halen autograph a photo for me.  Nick was an autograph…

Whenever I am asked to name my favorite autograph in my autograph collection, I always answer that it is my Alfred Hitchcock autograph.  That has been my standard answer for many years.  There are, however, autographs in my autograph collection that I consider to be personal favorites, even though many autograph collectors may consider them to be unremarkable.  Regardless, I would never want to be without them.

The best example of an autograph in my autograph collection that is a…