Certified auto's with stickers?

[hockeytown]

Just wanted to see why people don't like the stickers on certified cards. For those who are not aware of what I am talking about it is when the company sends out a couple of hundred stickers to a player to sign---in most cases cause the card has not been produced yet or is in the process of being made. Thus after the player signs these stickers they mail em back and then the sticker is put on the card.

My question is why do people not like these? I read in the boards here not necessary in specific reasons why but people post they don't like em. I am just wondering why?

For me I try to avoid them as they are not always put on straight, I worry in twenty or thirty years will they still be stuck to card? But most of all don't put the product out if it is not ready---thus get the cards back signed then put em in the product. Ok enough about what I think why do you not like to get the certified sticker graphs or do you not mind it all? Just kind of wondered why people collect those or don't. thanks jason

 

[penguinsrock93]

I'm one of the few who does not mind sticker autographs. For me its the design of the set that is a factor if I'll buy the cards. Sticker or hard signed doesn't matter. There are a lot of really nice looking sticker auto sets out there. The quality control on some of them can be better. For instance put them on straight and not upside down but for the most part if I like the card it would not affect me purchasing or trading for it.

 

[autobilia]

Just wanted to see why people don't like the stickers on certified cards. For those who are not aware of what I am talking about it is when the company sends out a couple of hundred stickers to a player to sign---in most cases cause the card has not been produced yet or is in the process of being made. Thus after the player signs these stickers they mail em back and then the sticker is put on the card.

My question is why do people not like these? I read in the boards here not necessary in specific reasons why but people post they don't like em. I am just wondering why?

For me I try to avoid them as they are not always put on straight, I worry in twenty or thirty years will they still be stuck to card? But most of all don't put the product out if it is not ready---thus get the cards back signed then put em in the product. Ok enough about what I think why do you not like to get the certified sticker graphs or do you not mind it all? Just kind of wondered why people collect those or don't. thanks jason

The stickers are ugly for starters. Upper Deck did a nice job though with the clear ones. I've had a Donruss card that had a wrinkle in the sticker which made the card look terrible. Also, it is not an autographed card as the card itself is not autographed. It should be a "sticker variation". Another thing I have a problem with. How is it certified if it is sent to the player? That's almost like a TTM autograph. If there is not a company representative with them to watch them sign, who really knows who actually sign those cards? I doubt an athlete will have the time and patients to autograph 1000+ stickers. As a matter of fact, try signign your name 3000 times and see if you make it . Then multiple that times all the different products the autograph is in.

 

[Muffinz]

There is not as much value to me, because the card is not actually signed, its just got a signed sticker on it. I cant get a Howe sticker auto, glue it to my face and say "my face is signed by Howe"...

 

[penguinsrock93]

How is it certified if it is sent to the player? That's almost like a TTM autograph. If there is not a company representative with them to watch them sign, who really knows who actually sign those cards?

Even on hard signed autograph the cards were still delivered to the players and they signed them at their own leisure. There is rarely a company rep to oversee the signings. The players are given the stickers or cards and they are told to sign. Either way you can have fake autos come about. Think about it...with all the players UD has signing in hockey, football, baseball, golf, basketball, tv shows, soccer...there is no way they sit by and watch people sign hundreads of autographs. Hard signed cards don't eliminate that aspect of the auto'ed card.

 

[hockeytown]

I know but forgot the name of a football player that did that in the signature rookies set possibly 1995 tetrad but could be wrong on the brand, he joked about it after wards how he let one of his buddy's sign the cards. I guess though from what I really know about the process I trust that 99.9% of what we get is called certified is real. There is always the lovely ones you get back that say on the back of the card congrats you have a certified autograph and on the front is nothing more then a picture of a player. This one really gets me when signature rookies went out of business they sold of tons of autographs at .10 on the dollar and I got a lot of really good stuff but some stuff came back signed but not with their little certified sticker...and these cards were like the short print out of /250 or /750 not the normal out of 7750, the cards were not numbered already but were hand numbered so basically there no way I can prove that Manny Ramirez for example signed several of these cards. I have always been tempted to just fill in the numbers but I just can't do that to the hobby. At any rate just a couple things about certified autographs and my own experiences.

 

[autobilia]

Even on hard signed autograph the cards were still delivered to the players and they signed them at their own leisure. There is rarely a company rep to oversee the signings. The players are given the stickers or cards and they are told to sign. Either way you can have fake autos come about. Think about it...with all the players UD has signing in hockey, football, baseball, golf, basketball, tv shows, soccer...there is no way they sit by and watch people sign hundreads of autographs. Hard signed cards don't eliminate that aspect of the auto'ed card.

Skybox Autographics and On Location had representatives there watching the athlete sign.

 

[autobilia]

I know but forgot the name of a football player that did that in the signature rookies set possibly 1995 tetrad but could be wrong on the brand, he joked about it after wards how he let one of his buddy's sign the cards. I guess though from what I really know about the process I trust that 99.9% of what we get is called certified is real. There is always the lovely ones you get back that say on the back of the card congrats you have a certified autograph and on the front is nothing more then a picture of a player. This one really gets me when signature rookies went out of business they sold of tons of autographs at .10 on the dollar and I got a lot of really good stuff but some stuff came back signed but not with their little certified sticker...and these cards were like the short print out of /250 or /750 not the normal out of 7750, the cards were not numbered already but were hand numbered so basically there no way I can prove that Manny Ramirez for example signed several of these cards. I have always been tempted to just fill in the numbers but I just can't do that to the hobby. At any rate just a couple things about certified autographs and my own experiences.

It was 1997 UD NFL Legends were the athlete signed half and had his wife and a few other people sign the cards.

 

[penguinsrock93]

Autobilia: UD isn't Skybox. So the question on legitimacy is not answered with hard signed cards. Just about anyone from the maid to the next door neighbour can sign a card just as well as the sticker. I don't think your making a fair judgement. People can sit by and watch an athlete sign stickers just as well as a card.

 

[chiliwilly]

On the high $ products I like to see on card autographs...on all the others the stickers are OK with me as long as they don't detract from the product overall appeal.

 

[autobilia]

Autobilia: UD isn't Skybox. So the question on legitimacy is not answered with hard signed cards. Just about anyone from the maid to the next door neighbour can sign a card just as well as the sticker. I don't think your making a fair judgement. People can sit by and watch an athlete sign stickers just as well as a card.

UD has a lot more money than Fleer, so their resources should be a lot better than Fleer/Skybox. If they can dish out millions to sign players exclusively, then they should be able to fly the athlete(s) in to sign in their presence.

 

[autobilia]

Autobilia: UD isn't Skybox. So the question on legitimacy is not answered with hard signed cards. Just about anyone from the maid to the next door neighbour can sign a card just as well as the sticker. I don't think your making a fair judgement. People can sit by and watch an athlete sign stickers just as well as a card.

You can't call it an autographed card if the card itself is not autographed. That's a sticker signature variation.

 

[penguinsrock93]

UD has a lot more money than Fleer, so their resources should be a lot better than Fleer/Skybox. If they can dish out millions to sign players exclusively, then they should be able to fly the athlete(s) in to sign in their presence.

I hear you but what does that have to do with hard signed or sticker cards? You also have to think of it from UD's point of view. They are looking to maximize profits. If they can get away without having to send a rep to watch then of course they will. Also not every player has the time to sit down with a rep to sign sign sign. There needs to be an aspect of trust between the player and company. Not only does it cost a lot of money to send Reps around but it's also very difficult to get someone to sit down for an afternoon to sign his name thousands and thousands of times.

 

[Eric Draven]

1) They are ugly!
2) Some aren't put on right, I have seen some on upside down even!
3) Auto's on cards are just so much nicer, because they come from the players themselves!

It's even worse with UD in baseball, because from a TV Story they did, the legends like Ruth, etc who are all dead, but signed stuff while they were alive, a guy knew how to exactly forge their autos, and UD bought cut signatures from them, and PSA didn't even know they were fake, it took like 10 guys to look at one of them and found out one of the autos was fake on like a triple auto of Ruth and two other guys...I forgot what the story was called, but there was a lot of heat on the baseball forums about it on beckett.

 

[The Great Zo]

You can't call it an autographed card if the card itself is not autographed. That's a sticker signature variation.

That's my feeling. It's something akin to a photo-shoot jersey card... it's sort of a cheapened version of the real thing, and doesn't deserve to be categorized the same way.

 

[hrad_23]

as long as the stickers are not degrading to the products appearance they do not bother me too much... on card just looks better though- makes it more real (in my opinion) because at least you know that the player touched the card.

 

[He-Man]

This is why I like Press Pass Racing so much. They have not come out with a sticker auto. They have some cuts from deceased drivers but all of the drivers sign on the card. Love the fact that the athlete is acutually holding the card instead of a sheet of stickers, but I will buy or trade for both.

 

[autobilia]

I hear you but what does that have to do with hard signed or sticker cards? You also have to think of it from UD's point of view. They are looking to maximize profits. If they can get away without having to send a rep to watch then of course they will. Also not every player has the time to sit down with a rep to sign sign sign. There needs to be an aspect of trust between the player and company. Not only does it cost a lot of money to send Reps around but it's also very difficult to get someone to sit down for an afternoon to sign his name thousands and thousands of times.

The Reps are on payroll. Make them earn their money. And all expenses are tax write-offs. If UD had me on payroll, I'd go anywhere they wanted me to go to get the athletes to sign. As a matter of fact, I had a cousin who worked for Fleer years ago and his job was to go to the players and get them to sign the contracts in order to be able to use their image or GU on cards. UD can do the exac same thing, so can Donruss and any other company. The reps are already paid, so make them earn their money instead of sitting behind a desk all day. How can ANY company say an autograph is authentic if they don't see them sign them? An ahtletes word isn't good enough if you paying them a certain amount of money to sign.

 

[bunny89]

I won't purchase ANY cards on the secondary market that are not hard signed. My dislike for this practice started with the 03-04 ITGU release having all of the autos as stickers, and it seems to have gotten worse from there with all card producers (excepting a very few releases, notably Franchises). Aesthetics aside, a person (presumably) is purchasing an auto'd card because of the actual signature - and I personally feel that slapping a sticker with a 'graph on it is an unacceptable (and a cop out) way to deliver that. Start the revolution right now..."no more stickers!...no more stickers!..."

 

[autobilia]

I won't purchase ANY cards on the secondary market that are not hard signed. My dislike for this practice started with the 03-04 ITGU release having all of the autos as stickers, and it seems to have gotten worse from there with all card producers (excepting a very few releases, notably Franchises). Aesthetics aside, a person (presumably) is purchasing an auto'd card because of the actual signature - and I personally feel that slapping a sticker with a 'graph on it is an unacceptable (and a cop out) way to deliver that. Start the revolution right now..."no more stickers!...no more stickers!..."

That's another reason I have been selling off my autographs along with the rest of my trading cards. Usually I keep all autographs, but only keeping non-sports autos and TTM autos. I dislike stickers, but think UD did a great job with using clear stickers. Those silver holographic sticker turned my stomach.