Starting an Autographed Baseball Card Collection

Posted on August 27th, 2011 by admin

Starting an Autographed Baseball Card Collection

Baseball autographs have become more and more popular these days as the prices on them continue to rise. There are now collectors all over the world who enjoy owning autograph baseball cards. With so many more collectors these days an unfortunate byproduct is fake autographs. There are those out there looking to make a buck or two by handwriting signatures themselves on baseball cards. Because of this phenomenon it is now more important than ever to have your autograph baseball cards authenticated, not only because it may be a fake autograph but also for future selling purposes as well. It is always best to make sure that the autograph is legitimate anyways.

Where it once was only a hobby enjoyed by baseball enthusiasts and young fans, autograph baseball cards now have an extremely large market for them. This may be due in part to the rise of the internet and online auctions sites, but for whatever reason it is important to have your autograph baseball cards authenticated. You cannot just have it authenticated by just any ordinary person either. The more well-known the baseball player is, the more important it is to find a respectable expert who can authenticate the autograph baseball card. Unfortunately, along with those who make fraudulent autographs there are those who fraudulently authenticate cards that are knowingly fake in order to make a profit. Thus, it is important to know which places to go to when trying to authenticate an autograph baseball card. Here are two reputable places to consider when trying authenticating an autograph baseball card.

Professional Sports Authentication

Professional Sports Authentication is one of the most well-known and respected companies for one to get their autograph baseball cards authenticated from. The fees depend largely on whose autograph it is, as a Babe Ruth autograph will be worth a lot more than a Starlin Castro autograph. They generally range from around $25 up to as much as $250 for some of the well-known baseball stars, along with those that can be difficult to verify (such as those from players of 100 years ago). Not only will Professional Sports Authentication check to authenticate your autograph baseball card but also grade it as well. This can be extremely important in determining how much your autograph baseball card may be worth, as prices can differ greatly depending on the condition of the card itself along with the signature. Provided along with these two is a certificate of authenticity by the company, which will guarantee that your autograph baseball card has been authenticated by one of the most respected companies in the nation.

Beckett Grading Services

Beckett Grading Services is one of the top companies around when it comes to grading sports cards of any sort. Did you know that they also authenticate autograph baseball cards as well? Beckett Grading Services has recently teamed up with James Spence Authentication to provide its customers with not only top-notch grading but also fantastic autograph authentication services as well. One simply sends their autograph baseball card to James Spence Authentication, and the card will be encapsulated by Beckett Grading Services, along with the option to have the autograph graded as well. The fees are still comparable to that of other well-respected companies such as Professional Sports Authentication, ranging from $35 up to $250.

Again, it is important to stress that it is more important now than ever to have your autograph baseball cards authenticated as soon as possible. Also, make sure that you do not buy an autograph baseball card without making sure that it has been authenticated as well. If you do these two things you will have much greater peace of mind and will be able to enjoy your baseball cards a lot more.

Take a look at some baseball card collections to get you started.