Jerry West 9-23-17

I saw a few months back that all time NBA great and "The Logo" himself, Jerry West, would be appearing at a signing event hosted by Honabach and Sons.  At the time of purchasing my tickets, the location was yet to be determined.  As we got closer to the event, I found out the signing was to take place at the Holiday Inn Express near the Ontario Airport.  That's a good hour and fifteen minute drive (at a minimum) for me.  Nonetheless, this past Saturday was the day of the event, at which I showed up a good two hours early, picked up my will call tickets, and waited in my car until the actual start time crept up.  I was prepared with an 11x14 photo that resembles the NBA logo itself, figuring it was an apt photo to choose.  I lined up in the VIP line about 15 minutes before the noon start time, at which point Mr. West was finishing up his photo ops with some fans.  He began signing immediately afterward, and I snapped a couple of photos. 

Within minutes, I was at the front of the line and asked Mr. West to add the HOF inscription I paid for.  The signature came out looking fantastic, and Mr. West was extremely cordial, chatting up everyone who came through the line, and not making the whole experience feel rushed.  We had a conversation about the shirt I was wearing, which was a reference to the TV show "The Office".

 I went immediately from there to the Beckett authentication line, where I recognized the infamous Steve Grad standng nearby.  Grad was formerlywith PSA/DNA but is now employed by Beckett.  Some of you may recognize him from his recurring appearances on the tv show "Pawn Stars", in which he comes in to authenticate signatures for the Pawn Shop.  I use the word 'infamous' because there is some controversy surrounding this character, leading to his departure from PSA/DNA.  You can Google the name at your own leisure if you desire.

 All in all, it was a smooth experience for me.  The signing went quickly, I was in the building for no more than twenty minutes.  The autograph looks awesome, and is signed in gold.  There was zero wait time at the authentication table.  Granted, I had the VIP line pass so that may was hugely beneficial for my time.  Mr. West was nice, which lead to a cool story to tell down the road.  I'll always keep an eye out for the signings hosted by this company, because I've yet to have a bad experience.  Thanks for reading!