Are you a baseball Fan? Do you know that baseball fans are the most successful at getting baseballs autographed!  Whether you own season tickets, or are planning your once in a lifetime trip to a major league game, getting a ball signed will make your trip to the ball park the most memorable.  The autographed baseball is the classic centerpiece of an autograph collection. 70% of autograph items being sold are fake, be sure you get your autographed baseball in person so you will be assured that it is genuine. Baseball legend Babe Ruth, for instance, has had his signature forged on old baseballs, then rubbed in dirt to make them appear to be from the 1930s. Just go to any ball game and remember our tips.

1.Pen – make sure you have your pen ready before asking for autograph. Also make sure that the pen can be used to write on the material that you intend to use, e.g. Baseball. There are metallic pens available on the market which can be used to write on practically anything. They are pretty good for autographs.
2.Know the name – You have to know the name of the player from whom you are trying to get an autograph. It is very likely that they will give you more importance when you call them by their first name, nick name or pet name.
3.Be polite and show respect – Saying “please”, “thank you” and other forms of common courtesy is always important.
4.Arrive at the game early – the place where you are sitting is very important. Try to arrive at the game early so that you can get the front seats. It will be easier to approach the players from the front line.

Your success will depend on your determination and confidence. You might not be successful on the first day but you have to keep trying.

For instance, getting the baseball card and getting it signed personally by the player himself might be considered as most logical. It has been estimated that over 80 percent of the autographed items of famous American sports players being sold over the Internet are fakes, and getting the card signed in person is the best way to ensure yours is not fake. However getting close to the player and getting him sign the small piece of card might be an object of eternal luck. Still luck favors the bold and if you have the determination you might even get your card autographed by the player himself.

There are some possible scenarios of how it is being done. After the game while he is going out of the stadium, you might as well hound for an autograph fighting contest amongst several other frantic fans and hoping the security will allow; for a short period of time; the player to get a taste of his fame. Waiting for long hours in the practice session hoping the guards would be satisfied by the determination and would allow you to get close to the player; is supposed to be the best way though. While getting the autograph don’t be overwhelmed by the situation and thank the player of your dreams. If you are lucky the other players might be impressed by the maturity and open you a gate to heaven for your upcoming autograph hunting; by recommending you to the security guards as safe.

Finally, a word of warning. The value of a baseball card may exceed the value of the signature. A collector of signatures will not always pay extra for the rare baseball card. The autograph collectors main concern is displaying the signature. At the same time, the baseball card collector may prefer the card to be in pristine state, unchanged since it was manufactured. This is why it is not a good idea to have an expensive baseball card signed. You could devalue the price of the card, and get less for it.

The value of his autograph depends as there are now many original and fake ones all over the world. But if we talk about the original ones then his autograph is among one of the most expensive ones, costing around couple of thousand dollars. There are some autographed items of Mickey Mantle available for sale on eBay, price ranging from $200-$30000.

However when buying from an auction website; there is always a question of the authenticity of the autograph. There is a forensic writing analysis lab in Las Vegas who might help you in authenticating mantles autograph. But of course they are not going to do it for free; it is going to cost you some big money.

But if you happen to have an autograph of Mantle which you have collected in person, you should get it authenticated by the Forensic writing Analysts. Then you will see the difference between selling it for $60 or $600.

Michael Jordan has many types of merchandise available for sale on the internet and in Chicago Bull’s official merchandise store. No matter whether it is just a simple autographed card or a Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls autographed jersey; the price for his merchandise usually falls between $500 and $15,000 depending on the type of item and its popularity.

If you are a basketball player yourself, you might be interested to buy his autographed basketball for about $1000 - $1200. You might get a cheaper deal if you buy from an auction site rather than buying it from the official merchandise store. Sometimes the fans sell off their old merchandise at a very low price when they are in serious need of cash. But before you buy make sure that the merchandise is genuine and the signature is not forged.

You might also want to check out eBay for his other merchandise such as – autographed post cards, baseball bats, posters which are ranging from $300-$500 again depending on the quality and type of item.

Make sure you are not cheated by the reprints of his signature which are sold for only $10-$20. Do research before you actually go and buy any such merchandise. If you are very sensitive about buying merchandise from unofficial sources then you might want to go through the official merchandise store. It is likely that they are going to rip off your wallet but at least you can be sure of the authenticity of the autographs.

Researching around the web, the auction sites are offering Beatles’ autograph for a wide range of price. Depending on how many band members actually signed the artifact you are about to invest money in – the price range varies from $500 - $40,000 dollars. As this popular rock and roll band broke up so many years ago; their signed autographs are one of the most-wanted today. However before investing any amount of money check for UACC recognition and make sure the seller has a refund policy.

The strategy of the amount of money you are going to invest depends on the type of autograph you want. If you opt to buy a collection of all the band member’s autograph in a single piece of artifact, expect to pay anything more than $2000. However a single band member’s autograph might be purchased from as low as $350. Note that the very cheap prices are most likely to end in a duplicated or fake piece of autograph.

If you are a baseball fan then it will be fair to say that you have definitely heard of George Herman Ruth, better known as ‘Babe Ruth’. He is repeatedly chosen as the best baseball player of all time, and he is also among the first five to register his name into the hall of fame. He is also the first player to hit 30, 40 and 50 home runs in a particular season which is a remarkable achievement. Not all baseball players could achieve what Babe Ruth has achieved in so little time.

Do you want to know how much his autographs are worth? Yes, they are on sale on many auction sites! His autograph is among one of the most expensive ones out there. His autographed baseball bats might cost you as much as $45000.

If you like to buy goods from eBay then you might want to search for his autographed items and merchandise there. You will be surprised to see that some of his autographed baseballs even cost over $22000. Some auction sites also sell his autographed framed photos for about $12000. You can also find his reprinted autographs for as low as $30 on posters and cards.

Be very careful when buying autographs from unofficial sources. Sometimes they are faked. So do your necessary research before buying.

With the recent enormous growth of autograph sellers on eBay, and the appearance of a multitude of new galleries and retailers offering expensive autographs, casual autograph collectors and one-time buyers have in many instances sought “certificates of authenticity” issued by the seller at the time of sale. As with any guarantee, these certificates are only as dependable as the seller issuing them.

In many instances, sellers will use a professional authenticator to determine the authenticity of the material they wish to bring to market. The autograph industry is currently contentiously split between two types of authenticators: those who rely upon their professional expertise and experience personally having collected and/or sold large inventories of autographs over a period of many years, and “forensic examiners” who rely on academic credentials. Disputes have led to court actions, most notably gallery owner American Royal Arts vs. Beatles autograph dealer Frank Caiazzo.

Potential autograph buyers uncertain of the legitimacy of the seller or authenticator should carefully research both parties.

Mostly autograph that appear on the internet auction sites are fake. This is why sometimes they can offer real low price. But the sad part of this is you are just paying for a piece of paper which is worthless.

When buying an autograph, you have to make sure that you are aware of what that person’s signature is meant to look like. We have seen many people who offer “Genuine” autographs for sale that include spelling mistakes in the name!

Always try to check the testimonials of the person you are buying from. Do not take for granted that people with high positive feedbacks are selling authentic items. The positive feedback usually means that they deliver on time, mostly because they are signing to orders. More reputable autograph dealers will usually give you more specifics about their autographs. For instance, when the autograph was signed, whom the autograph was made for etc. Always verify all the information before making any purchase.

These tips will help you to get started:

1.Determination – you need to have determination before you can actually start. You might want to start with your favorite sportsman, movie stars and so on.
2.Buy an autograph Book – you should get yourself a nice autograph book where you will store all the autographs. You can later decorate it will colors and glitters if you want.
3.Include a photo of the celebrity you want signed. This will boost your confidence every time you will look at the picture.
4.You might want to write a personalized letter to the celebrity showing great interest, this way the celebrity will be more eager to give you a free autograph.
5.See the potentially of the autographs in the market. You will be surprised to see that autographs are sold for thousands of dollars in many internet auction sites.
6.Before going to the field, make sure you have ‘deeper’ knowledge of the person which is very useful.
7.Make sure you say “thank you” once you get the autograph.

It is not a piece of cake to convince a celebrity to sign an autograph for you. All the famous celebrities are backed up by their agents, personal secretary, spokesperson and what not. So all the letters and emails from the fans requesting autograph usually finds a nice place in the trashcan before they are even read by the superstar. Still many fans try with no success and luck whereas some are eager to know where to start off.

There are quite a few ways of getting autographs from your favorite celebrity but all these will require great deal of determination and hard work and of-course your unconditional love for the super star. The harder way of getting an autograph would be to ask in person. It’s hard because you have to go through all the people which I mentioned earlier before you can actually have a face to face conversation with the celebrity. But if you happen to find the person in a shopping complex or in a public place then you might want to give it a shot. However take note that it doesn’t work all the time. There will be plenty like you who would do the same once they identify the super star. Make sure that you have your own pen and a paper before you even think of approaching the superstar. It is not wise to ask for a pen from the person who is signing an autograph for you. Consider all the external, environmental and time factors before approaching. For instance, if you happen to find your favorite celebrity in an expensive dining restaurant with someone then it is very likely that your star is on a date. Would you like to be interrupted by an unknown individual on a date? No right? So think before you act.

Also try to be quite and polite as you can. If you talk too harshly or do crazy acts in front of your star then it is very likely that you will be ignored. Don’t try to go into long conversation or ask any sort of personal information. Remember that once you get the perfect opportunity you should not let anything distract you.

Lastly, don’t forget to say “thank you” once your celebrity is done giving you an autograph.

Some tips for starting a successful autograph book –

1. Get a nice autograph book from your nearby book store or souvenir store. If you want a fancy and unique autograph book then you might think of making one yourself. Get some colored papers, glitters, stick ons and there you go.
2. Set a theme for your autograph book. You might want to collect autographs only from famous persons like celebrates, sports man etc.
3. Write your name, the theme neatly with big capitals on the top cover of the autograph book. You might want to add some of your own design by putting stars, colors and glitters.
4. Add little description on the top and bottom of the autographs. You might want to add some photos, quotes as well.
5. Once you are reaching the end, don’t just buy a new autograph book. Try to add pages to the existing one.
6. You might want to start off by putting your own autograph at the beginning.