Collecting Basketball Autographs
By: Rich Syndram
Added: January 11, 2009
Collecting basketball autographs involves some knowledge. No matter if you’re talking NBA autographs, WNBA autographs or signatures from the top college stars, there are some things to keep in mind.
While you can have anything signed, it’s best to keep your focus on the quality of the item you’re asking the athlete to sign. It’s better for display purposes and it will be easier to sell if you ever decide to part with your collection at some point. Players appreciate your care if they’re taking the time to sign for you. It’s also important to consider quality when you’re buying autographs via eBay here at BasketballAutograph.com.
The most popular types of items to get signed by players include:
Jerseys
Basketballs
Photographs
Basketball trading cards
Shoes
Posters
Programs and publications
3x5 index cards
When buying autographs via eBay on this site or getting them in person, know that signed jerseys are going to be the most expensive. They take more time to sign and they’re not cheap to buy even without the autograph. Signed NBA jerseys can run well into the hundreds of dollars for star players.
Autographed basketballs are a very cool way of collecting basketball autographs. They’re big enough so that players won’t have trouble signing them. They make for easy and attractive display pieces and they’re readily available. They’re the second most valuable type of basketball autograph, behind the jersey.
Autographed sports photos are everywhere. They’re very traditional and also very reasonable in price. Just make sure what you’re buying is authentic. Check a seller’s feedback and history. Photos are easy to display and tell a story about the player, the team, the league and the era. High quality vintage NBA photos can be valuable by themselves. Adding an autograph makes for an exceptional display piece.
Basketball trading cards are easy to carry around and very inexpensive. They’re readily available and you can work on an autographed set of cards.
Autographed shoes are a different type of animal. If you can find a certain player’s exact shoe or a game-worn model and have it signed, it’s certainly a unique conversation piece.
Posters aren’t the easiest to lug around but they’re also a nice, attractive display piece when signed by the player.
Programs and publications are often harder to re-sell as they do take up some room. However, we won’t argue that it’s a bad thing to get Bird and McHale
on a 1980s NBA Finals program!
3x5 index cards are easy to carry around in your jacket pocket. They’re easy to sign and you can build a mat around them and use them in a framed display piece. They’re also cheap when you can find them here, unless we’re talking about a tough autograph or a deceased player.