Kevin Elster, Reggie Cleveland, Larry Gura Remain Bargains For TTM Autographs

Appreciate the facsimile sig.
This cup-of-coffee pitcher
now demands more than
$2 per letter for his last name!

 When in doubt, ASK!

One of the great parts of this hobby is knowing that veteran collectors will share their experiences with you. I called upon hobby veteran Rich Hanson for his impressions of former players charging for their autographs. I’m grateful for his words of wisdom:

“What do I look for in deciding whether to pay for a signature?  How tough the signer is otherwise, and how reasonable the fee is.

 One can find some good bargains in Harvey Meiselman’s list of signers.  HOFer Don Sutton @$5 a card, Reggie Cleveland and Kevin Elster @ $1 a card, Larry Gura $2 per.
 I’ve never had a problem sending cash by mail, but I don’t send large amounts.  Anything bigger merits a money order or check if they’ll accept it.
 I weigh the price on the player and how bad I want him in my collection.  Quite a few years ago I paid $5 each for two Dom Zanni autographs.  Now he’s charging $30.  Now I’d pass. 
Even worse is Bob Giallombardo’s $25 (double his amount of major league games, and Bob Allen’s $100 fee to sign a card (postal money order only).  This is either a joke gone awry or an extremely unrealistic request. 
 I can buy three Nolan Ryan signatures for what he’s charging.”

Tomorrow: The amazing mission of pitcher Larry Gura!

2 thoughts on “Kevin Elster, Reggie Cleveland, Larry Gura Remain Bargains For TTM Autographs”

  1. I interviewed Giallombardo in 2009, you can read it here, “From the Big Apple to the Big Leagues.”

    He told me on the phone to send him a card and he’d sign it. He even gave me his address. I sent him the card and the article. Six months later I had no response. He never mentioned anything about a fee. I sent a follow-up with another copy of the article and a small photo and again he kept it. I know these players don’t owe us anything, but he could just return the items unsigned.

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  2. I have been looking for a Giollombardo autograph for some time now and have not seen a single one listed on ebay. If he actually signs for $25, I would probably pay that. I bet if his 589 Topps card showed up signed on ebay, it may easily exceed that as I know I am not the only fanatic Dodger auto collector out there.

    I agree with you though. Giollombardo’s career doesn’t warrant a $25 fee, but the scarcity he has created does apparently.

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