Autograph Inscriptions - Which ones to get, ones to avoid, and how to make them perfect

Let’s talk about inscriptions.  How to get the best ones.  Which ones to avoid.  How to make sure your inscription turns out legible and just the way you want it.

So what are inscriptions?

For those of you who are not familiar with the autograph market, those are stats or personalizations that you typically pay extra for.  For example, Patrick Mahomes was the NFL MVP for 2018.  Many collectors want items where he writes 18 MVP on it.  Makes it a very highly collectible item to commemorate that special season. Other inscriptions customers have done is to have the item personalized.  For example, Patrick would write TO MATT.

What are the best ones to get?

Hall of Fame years, ROY, MVP, CY YOUNG, Super Bowl champion inscriptions, stats, stuff like that are what people really want.

Which ones to avoid?

I always try and get inscriptions that will never change.  For example, all the people that got a Tom Brady autograph with 5 x Super Bowl CHAMP inscription are now kicking themselves as Tom has now won 6 SB titles.   So it makes that inscription not accurate.   Also, some people like personalizations, but if you were to ever re-sell it, that makes it difficult.

How do you make sure your inscription turns out the best and most legible?

Ultimately, it is on the athlete to write legibly.  But there are some things you can do to make sure your inscriptions turn out great.

Give the athlete plenty of space to write.  Make the inscription as simple as possible.  Clearly mark your item with typed out instructions on EXACTLY what you want.

Use a good quality pen (check out latest blog post).  Lastly, if you are attending a signing where you will see the athlete sign your item, ask them politely to please take their time with the inscription and write as clear as possible.  After all, you are paying extra for it.