Sunday, July 31, 2011

How did you know that?


So often, in the collectible world, I will participate in conversations with collectors and we will share information about celebrity appearances.  Inevitably, the quote that is most often spoken is, "I wish I knew that." or "How do I find these things out?"  One of the interesting things about autograph collecting is that finding out where celebrities are appearing is actually a challenge unless you are on email lists with collector companies, you attend a ton of shows or you work in the industry.  Occasionally, you will find information via an internet search engine or in your local newspapers, but even those avenues are not a consistent reliable source.

However, don't fret, thanks to a gentleman in Connecticut, there is a fantastic website to find out all this information.  In my experience his website lists about 95% of all celebrity appearances in the United States and Canada.  Some of the information is sent to him from collectors and most right from the promoters themselves.  The name of the website is www.signingshotline.com

The website is very comprehensive and has improved every year.  You can find an athlete appearance in a variety of ways.  You can look up an appearance by professional team, award winners, dates, states, college team and many more ways.  You can receive daily updates for celebrity appearances via email.

There are free usage aspects to the website, but I recommend subscribing as you will receive more updated and pertinent information.  I have the $24.95 a year plan which ends up paying for itself.  You see, for some events if you are a member of signingshotline.com you can print out coupons to save money at autograph events.  I usually save about $75 a year with those coupons.

So in addition to checking your local newspaper, joining an company's email list, consider signing up for signingshotline.com and stop feeling like you are out of the loop.

Friday, July 29, 2011

Stanley Cup Champion and Current Boston Bruin Dennis Seidenberg Appearance



Another member of the Bruins Stanley Cup Champion team will be signing autographs on Wednesday August 3rd.  Yes, Dennis Seidenberg #44, will be appearing at P & T sports cards at 560 Bedford Street in Whitman Mass.. 

He will be appearing from 5:00pm - 7:00pm.

Tickets are $39 for any item, inscriptions are extra. 

Please check http://www.sureshotpromotions.com/ to place your order.

Hope to see there.










Come and Meet Red Sox Prospect Jose Iglesias


Jose Iglesias in action.








Here is a great opportunity to meet the future shortstop of the Red Sox, Jose Iglesias. I have met Jose before and he is a great gentleman and worth meeting.  His price is only $29 an autograph.  He is an exciting prospect for the Red Sox and will become a crowd favorite quickly.  Once he becomes a full time major league player expect this fee to minimally double to $60. 

He will be appearing on Tuesday August 2nd from 7:00pm - 8:30pm.

He will be at Sports and More in the Providence Place Mall, Providence Rhode Island.

Hope to see you there.

Jose Iglesias Autographed baseball.


Use Tuff Stuff to answer the Tough Questions

I was recently at a retail bookstore and I was browsing the antique/collectible section.  Of course there were plenty of books on collecting many items such as sport cards, antiques, coins, stamps, toys (I have to admit I liked the 80's toy book) etc..  Much to my dismay, I could not find a single book on autograph collecting.  I was pretty shocked considering the market for autographs of any kind is so large.  So this made me think, how do I track the value of my collection?  Where did I learn some of my tricks from?  How did I learn the difference between regular and premium items?  I certainly remember looking this all up in books, not too long ago.

So I did the famous google search and I found what I was looking for; The Tuff Stuff website.  Tuff Stuff is incredibly useful and fun for any sports card or autograph collector.  You will find everything you need to know via their website, magazine subscription program or from their books link.  Their magazines are great as you will find updated sport card information.  Dates for autograph signings around the country are usually in the publications.  Trends in collecting are written about regularly.  However, what I find most useful are the tidbits on autograph values.  Their magazines and books will explain everything you need to know to grade and assign a value to your pieces.  Very useful if you ever needed to have it appraised or insured.

So check out www.tuffstuff.com and find the answers to the tough questions.

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Red Sox All Stars Adrian Gonzalez, David Ortiz and more......

With the Bruins being in the spotlight lately, as they should be, we all forgot about the Red Sox. They quietly played out of their early season slump.  They are now in 2nd place in the division and 4 of their players were selected to the American League all star team.  Saturday July 9, will be your opportunity to meet two of them in addition to some of their teammates. 

Jon Lester Autographed baseball with no-hitter inscription

That's right, current players, Adrian Gonzalez, David Ortiz, Tim Wakefield, Jon Lester and Felix Doubront will all be appearing to sign autographs. Former Red Sox players, Rico Petrocelli and Ramon Martinez (Pedro Martinez's brother) will also be in attendance.

David Ortiz and Tim Wakefield 2004 World Series Autographed Baseballs.
So here's the deal. The current players are rather expensive, but for current Red Sox superstars, the prices are about market price.  Felix Doubront is free with admission fee.  Don't bother bringing a camera, because players will not be posing for pictures as they need to complete their obligation to sign for paid customers and then scoot off to prepare for their night game. 

This will be a crowded event because this is Gonzalez's first appearance in Boston.  David Ortiz hasn't appeared in 2 seasons and Lester and Wakefield are very much fan favorites.  With the crowd comes the fact that fans will need to move through the lines quickly, so only expect about 5-10 seconds with the players, if that.

If you don't have an item to get signed, there will be plenty of merchandise for sale including baseballs, world series baseball, bats, and plenty of photos.  Also, please remember that there is an admission fee of $5 at the door.

Below is all the information you need, which includes, location, prices and times.

We hope to see you there.
th- 9:00am to 4:00pm -The Lantana, 43 Scanlon Drive, Randolph, MA 02386
David Ortiz
11:30am to 1:30pm
$89.00 - Regular (Flats up to 11x14)
$99.00 - Premium (O/S Flats/Baseballs)
$109.00 - Premium (Caps/Equip/Bats/Jerseys)
$20.00 - Inscription
Jon Lester
11:00am to 1:00pm
$79.00- Regular (Flats up to 11x14/Baseballs)
$89.00 - Premium (O/S Flats)
$99.00 - Premium (Caps/Equip/Bats/Jerseys)
$20.00- Inscription
Adrian Gonzalez
11:30am to 1:30pm
$99.00 - Regular (Flats up to 11x14/Baseballs)
$109.00 - Premium (O/S Flats/Caps/Equip)
$119.00 - Premium (Bats/Jerseys)
$25.00 - Inscription
Cecil Cooper
10:30am to 12:00pm
$25.00 - Any Item
Ramon Martinez
10:00am to11:30am
$39.00 - Any Item
$5.00 - Inscription
Felix Doubront
10:00am to 12:00pm
One free autograph per paid admission.
Additional items are $10.00 each
Tim Wakefield
11:00am - 12:30pm
$49.00 - Regular (Flats/Baseballs)
$69.00 - Premium (Caps/Equip/Bats/Jerseys)
$20.00 - Inscription
We w
For tickets and info – contact Sure Shot Promotions at 781-754-0063
or send us an email at mike@sureshotpromotions.com
iillll glladlly acceptt maiill orders!!!!
Fenway’s Finest

Saturday, July 9