Oscar Robertson

 I have mentioned previously that there are constantly autograph signings happening all over the country and that there are websites I use (preferably sportscollectors.net) to help me find said signings and determine whether the price is something I want to pay for a specific athlete. The highest prices tend to be players who had more modern careers, or are currently active. NFL and NBA signings tend to be higher prices than getting Hall of Famers from Baseball and especially the NHL. One other factor I always consider is whether or not it's cheaper to get a signed card from a Panini or Topps product. In the case of one of the all time NBA greats, Oscar Robertson, the latter was by far the way to go.

I was notified by email last week that Oscar was going to be doing a signing, and the below list is what the prices were going to be;

Autograph Pricing:
Flats up to 11x14 / Magazines / Non Rookie Cards:  $169 + S&H 
16x20 / Toy / Figure:  $189 + S&H
Jersey:  $219 + S&H
Basketball: $249
NBA 50/75: $269 + S&H 
Tickets:  $319 + S&H
Inscriptions: $129 (per stat or up to 3 words) (2 Inscrips per item, max)
Authentication:  $10

*****  Not accepting rookie cards

As you can see, getting a card signed would have cost $169, and there is a caveat at the bottom that rookie cards were not going to be signed. So my decision was to buy an older Robertson card that wasn't a rookie, send it in to be signed for $169 plus $11 for shipping. $180 in total.

My other option was to peruse eBay and see what autographs were on there. I found the above card, numbered to 99, for 3.5x cheaper than what the signing would have cost. Yes, the auto is a sticker auto, but to me it was way smarter to go this route. A lot of these signings are overpriced and specifically targeting people that need a certain item signed. In this case, I am happy with my purchase and now get to add one of the best to ever play the game to my collection at a fraction of what a private signing would have cost.