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TTM Signers Charging $100 Fees

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Fee-charging autograph signers haven’t hijacked this hobby…yet.

I counted five pages of prices in Harvey Meiselman’s 2013 Baseball Address List.

Bargains remain. Sid Bream, Dana Kiecker and Reggie Cleveland ask just one dollar per card autograph.

The top fees are $100 per autograph from two Hall of Famers, Yogi Berra and Bob Allen.

Oops. Wait a second. Hmmm…

Bob Allen. I looked him up.

Debut 1961 Cleveland Indians. Reliever for five seasons. Career 7-12, 4.11 ERA.

Wait! The page has a Bob Allen autographed card. Was that a $100 acquisition, too?

I contacted Sean Holtz, the talented founder, researcher and webmaster for the site. He replied:

As for Allen his signature is about 25 years old. Can’t remember exactly the year. I live in Florida, have my whole life, even went to middle school right next door to where the Expos did their Spring Training. Braves too. I would get countless signatures with all my friends. We would then trade. So I’d use a clipboard, put 3 cards across the clip, get them signed. My two other best friends did the same. We’d then trade! What I didn’t know was what a great idea that was decades later. Anyway, Bob had retired for a while. I didn’t have any cards for him, but there was a card shop there and we picked up a couple cards for him.

Crazy fee, $100! Wow! Maybe it’s a typo?”


That is no typo, baseball fans. The figure is confirmed
.
I asked Harvey for his take on lavish Bob Allen. He responded:

Tom – regarding Bob Allen, basically what he’s saying by charging a $100 signing fee is “Leave me alone. I don’t want to sign autographs.”
No secret with verifying the signing fees every year. I send out an autograph request to each player I have in my database as charging a fee and then confirm or update the signing fee information he sends back. You’d be surprised at the small percentage of players who donate their money to charity. There probably is a lot of the players who don’t specify a charity that do donate to charity but I don’t think it’s a high percentage.
 
Lefty Bob has my sympathy. Being a 1960s Indian was far from glamorous. Also, he pitched in 204 more major league games than I ever did.
 
Nevertheless, there’s no reason to take your frustration out on collectors who’re trying to complete a signed Topps set. Former players who want to leave their baseball life behind should ask Harvey to be removed from his 2014 edition, instead of punishing well-meaning hobbyists.
 
Coming Monday: a P.S. on Pete Rose.
 
 

2013 Baseball Address List Shines

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Harvey Meiselman remains a hobby all-star.

His stellar 2013 Baseball Address List weighs in at 213 spiral-bound pages.

I’m marveling anew at his “tough TTM” column. He tallies reported responses from online autograph sites, warning collectors about anyone with a 25 percent success rate or LOWER. This alone is a fascinating list. You’ll find many obscure names on it, not just superstars and Hall of Famers. Only the most optimistic gamblers may attempt some of these guys, knowing that anyone you send is at high risk.

Harvey includes a section for baseball personalities: owners, executives, broadcasters, reporters. Collectors of the Ford Frick and Spink Award winners from the Hall of Fame will love this assortment.

The fine lists of Negro Leaguers and AAGPBL (girls league) veterans is shrinking with time. Collectors who’ve never tried these history makers will miss out totally soon. The advancing ages from these two categories will slam shut this window of opportunity soon.

There’s a concluding rundown of all the fee signers out there. How much do they want for different items? Who should the check be made out to (or do they demand cash only)? Harvey’s details will make sure no one wastes time and postage not following the instructions of signer-sellers.

Realize that customers are buying a partnership with Harvey, not just a single directory. Make sure that he has your e-mail address, and he’ll keep your address list updated to the minute. On Monday, he sent updates on raised fees from Steve Yeager, Ron Reed and Tommy Davis. Just as important, he noted that collectors have reported that Tim Raines and Don Sutton haven’t been responding to paying collectors — those who are sending in the required fees with their autograph request.

Harvey’s list is a must-have for any serious autograph collector or student of baseball history. Reach him before the postal increase Jan. 27, and you’ll save two dollars. Tell him Baseball By The Letters sent you!

Coming Friday: My thoughts about the players who charge for autographs in 2013.

Baseball Address 2013 List Ships!

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Harvey Meiselman has done it again.

He wrote: “Just to let you know I shipped the initial batch of orders this past Saturday, January 5th, right on schedule. 427 packages out the door.”

Although 427 collectors have a headstart on you, it’s not too late. In fact, now’s the best time to order his Baseball Address List. Because of the Jan. 27 U.S. Postal Service rate hike, Harvey has to increase his price to $37 to cover the new expense. Order before Jan. 27 to get the old $35 postage-paid deal.

Harvey has all his bases covered. Remember December’s feature about collecting Ford Frick Award honorees? Harvey’s list is the place for all the addresses.

To order or learn more, go to http://sportsaddresslists.com/.

Harvey Meiselman’s Address Inspiration?

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To get more than the
facsimile sig, hobbyists
needed special
help to find Alston!

I’ve always loved those “making of” documentaries. Everyone can see the movie. Seeing behind the scenes is another story.

That’s why I wrote Harvey Meiselman about his upcoming Baseball Address List that ships in just a few weeks. He’s at www.sportsaddresslists.com. He’s a tireless tracker of elusive baseball names, the guys who never stay put. Was it a shy superstar or humble Hall of Famer that he was proudest of pinpointing? Nope. His choice surprised me! Harvey replied.

“The player was Wendell “Dell” Alston who broke into the majors with the Yankees in 1978. When “that other baseball address list guy” in Ames IA first put Alston on his list in 1979 or 1980, he listed an address of 3 Granada Crt in White Plains NY. And there it stayed from that time until about 1999 when he started to list it as “Old Address.”
 
During that time I tracked him using my resources through 4 different addresses in MD. I had been working with Jack Smalling for a few years doing updates to his baseball addresses and I tried to pass this address update to him but he didn’t think it was accurate and never used it. I told Jack I wanted to do my own baseball address list and he asked me to wait 2-3 years because he was “afraid” I would use all his information which I found to be 55-60% inaccurate. I had been researching my own MLB addresses, from scratch, since 1988, and told him I would not use any addresses he had on his list unless I researched it myself and confirmed it was correct.
 
So, in 2002, I came out with my Baseball Address List and it’s now my best seller of all the lists that I produce. Well, to make a long story short, Dell Alston has moved 3 more times through this year but because of the address I found in MD a lot of collectors had successes with him and dealers were contacting him to do private signings and bring him in for shows.
 
If you look at what’s included in Jack’s baseball list and then check the addresses in mine, you’ll see that I took his idea 5 steps further than he probably ever imagined or was able to do (I include signing fees, ex-MLB players working for teams as coaches and managers, team addresses and websites and much more) that give collectors a much better contact point to get players autographs.
One last note Tom. I get a lot of emails from collectors who say they use Intelius, ZabaSearch and other free people search engine and found a few addresses so why should they spend the money for my list. And I tell them that in the past 10 years I’ve found over 50,000 addresses with databases that cost me between $3,500 and $4,000 a year to use.”
 
I believe in Harvey and his addresses. Make it a happy hobby new year. Get his 2013 edition today!
 
Coming Wednesday: Letters to help a deserving Yankees fan?
 
 

Invest In Your 2013 Collection: Harvey Meiselman’s Taking Orders For New Address List!

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Beep beep. Blasted drive-thru line!

Yes, we’re all accustomed to instant service. But the best things are worth waiting for.

Harvey Meiselman’s yearly Baseball Address List is the best tool any collector, researcher or fan could have. Setting a good example for the U.S. Postal Service, Harvey is NOT increasing his prices.

His new list will cost $35, same as last year. Bigger, better, but same price.

Sorry, Santa. Harvey is not shipping until Jan. 5.

Can’t I order later? Yes, but…

Harvey will have a first-come, first-served policy. If you get in line now, you’ll be the first to get new addresses. I wish I could be Mister Optimism and say that autograph signing habits will never change.

History begs to differ. With new addresses, newly-discovered names may sign until they’re overwhelmed. They may choose to start charging, or they may stop signing completely.

Find out more at www.sportsaddresslists.com. No, I’m not a paid affiliate. I am a fan of Harvey.

Coming Monday: A winter league for collectors?