Baseball card collectors - please help me out

[Seinfeld]

So I’m putting a new home bar together this Fall, and the idea is that it’s going to be half bar, half memorabilia display. Anyway, I’m hunting for a Will Clark signed rookie card, and after spending a little time on eBay, I was amazed at the number of signed specialty cards that Clark has out there. Topps Diamond, 35th anniversary, archives… there are probably a dozen different numbered autographed cards just from 2022

I’m not too worried about overpaying for a Thrill auto because either way, it’ll mean something to me, but I guess my question is… what is with all these autographed specialty cards? Is that the going thing now in card collecting, and is it safe to say that the auto market is hugely over-saturated? It was just crazy to me seeing so many Clark cards even in these newer ‘21 and ‘22 series

 

[Cooterpoot]

If they aren't authenticated, avoid them if collecting is the goal. Autographs need proof they're real. Tons and tons of fakes out there.

 

[aTotal360]

Yes. "Relics" too. Meaning odd signatures, pieces of game worn jersey, even thin slices of bats. YouTube views has really pushed the card collecting market into a weird place. Everyone is buying into "breaks" where someone opens a $5000 box of cards and you get a specific card out of the pack. They will live stream opening it and if you buy the 4th card in the pack, you get it. No one wants to watch someone open a pack of regular cards anymore so everything is high end. Panini being one of the most prevalent brands of of the highend stuff.

Some of these card manufactures are even putting crazy things in packs like a Marilyn Monroe signature or a Abe Lincoln signed receipt. It's pretty cool, but also ridiculous.

I think Topps is even putting precious gems in cards. You can get a card with a GIA certified diamond in it.

Phil Hughes (former pitcher for the Yankees) is big into cards. I watch his YT channel a good bit.

 

[Dawg_4_lifes]

A bit different then the old Topps stick of bubble gum inside the pack.

 

[aTotal360]

Yeah. Lots of them have a guaranteed autograph in every pack. There even a distinction within autos. "On card" is a bigger deal than mass signing a bunch of clear stickers than later then get applied to cards. Also, the color of the ink matters. Some packs will have 1:100 autos will be black ink, 1:50 will be blue ink, 1:10 will be red ink, and 1:1 will be gold ink.

 

[Seinfeld]

Thanks, and yeah… I’ve seen a bunch of them in cases with some kind of alleged authentication from PSA, Beckett, etc, but who knows. Even that can probably be faked these days

 

[Seinfeld]

Thanks, and that’s kinda what I was wondering. Seeing a Diamond auto that’s x/25 initially seems like a great card, but the more I browsed, the more I realized that there are like a hundred of these various limited sets, so the rarity is a tad misleading.

 

[Wizard.sixpack]

So I’m putting a new home bar together this Fall, and the idea is that it’s going to be half bar, half memorabilia display. Anyway, I’m hunting for a Will Clark signed rookie card, and after spending a little time on eBay, I was amazed at the number of signed specialty cards that Clark has out there. Topps Diamond, 35th anniversary, archives… there are probably a dozen different numbered autographed cards just from 2022

I’m not too worried about overpaying for a Thrill auto because either way, it’ll mean something to me, but I guess my question is… what is with all these autographed specialty cards? Is that the going thing now in card collecting, and is it safe to say that the auto market is hugely over-saturated? It was just crazy to me seeing so many Clark cards even in these newer ‘21 and ‘22 series

I personally wouldn’t want an autographed anything unless I got it autographed. Imo autograph items need a story not just “I ordered this autographed item online. Not the same

 

[WilCoDawg]

There’s actually two Bulldog card guys around the Starkville area. I can’t recall their names though. Maybe they could be a good resource for you if you’re in the area.