Behind the Scenes of a Scottie Pippen Autograph Signing

What is it actually like to travel across the country for a private autograph signing with an NBA legend?

We recently had the opportunity to participate in a Scottie Pippen autograph signing in California.

This one was a little different for us at Powers Sports Memorabilia.

Caleb flew from Kansas City to Los Angeles by himself, transported and managed our customer items, prepared everything for the signing, met Scottie Pippen for the first time, and then brought everything back home.

On a recent episode of The Powers Sports Memorabilia Show, Matt and Caleb sat down after the trip to talk about the entire experience—from preparing hundreds of details before the signing to what Scottie was like in person and some of the incredible memorabilia that showed up to be signed.

Here's a behind-the-scenes look at how a professional autograph signing like this actually works.

Traveling to a Scottie Pippen Autograph Signing

One thing collectors don't always see is how much travel can be involved in getting their memorabilia signed.

For this signing, Caleb flew from Kansas City to Los Angeles on Wednesday, with the signing taking place the following morning.

And there was one little problem:

We didn't know the exact signing time until Caleb was already in California.

He arrived at the hotel around 9 p.m. and learned the signing would begin at 8 a.m. the next morning.

That's not necessarily unusual.

Private autograph signings revolve around the athlete's schedule. Times can change, locations can change, and sometimes information isn't finalized until very close to the event.

You have to be flexible.

What Happens the Night Before an Autograph Signing?

Collectors usually see the finished product.

They don't see all the preparation that happens before the athlete ever picks up a pen.

Once Caleb arrived at the hotel, he began organizing the items.

Cards went into one area.

Items requiring black Sharpie went together.

Blue Sharpie items went together.

Silver paint, gold paint, and other requested pen colors were separated.

The goal is to make the actual signing as organized and efficient as possible.

When an athlete sits down, you don't want to be searching through paperwork trying to figure out what a customer requested.

Everything should already be organized.

Why We Photograph Everything Before a Signing

There's another step we take that collectors may never think about.

We document the items.

Once everything is organized, we like to photograph or video the setup.

That creates a record showing what was there and how everything was organized.

Matt shared a story during the show about a previous Joe Namath signing.

After arranging the memorabilia for the following day, Matt documented everything and even recorded himself locking the room.

The next morning, he learned that someone from the hotel had apparently entered the room to clean and left the doors open.

Thankfully, there wasn't a problem with the memorabilia.

But imagine walking into a room containing valuable rookie cards and customer memorabilia and discovering the doors had been left open.

That's why we're careful.

These aren't our items.

They belong to our customers.

We treat them accordingly.

What Was Scottie Pippen Like at the Signing?

This was Caleb's first time meeting Scottie Pippen.

And as a Bulls fan—especially a fan of that era—it was a pretty cool experience.

Caleb described Scottie as friendly and easy to work with.

One of their first interactions actually had nothing to do with basketball.

Scottie complimented Caleb's Supreme shirt.

That wasn't completely surprising because Pippen has shown an interest in fashion and sneakers over the years.

It was a small interaction, but those moments are part of what makes attending autograph signings fun.

Was the Signing Fun for Scottie Pippen or Just a Job?

Collectors sometimes wonder what autograph signings are like from the athlete's perspective.

Are they excited to be there?

Do they enjoy seeing the memorabilia?

Or is it simply work?

Caleb's impression was that this signing was mostly business for Scottie, but not in a negative way.

He interacted with the people there.

He talked.

He noticed certain pieces.

But he was also there to do a job, and there were a lot of items to get signed.

That's probably a good way for collectors to think about many private signings.

The athlete may enjoy seeing certain pieces or talking with people in the room, but ultimately this is a professional event.

The Michael Jordan Items Got Scottie's Attention

Of all the memorabilia at the signing, one type definitely caught Scottie's eye:

Michael Jordan items.

According to Caleb, Scottie repeatedly showed interest in one of the Michael Jordan jerseys at the signing.

For collectors, Jordan and Pippen pieces are obviously special.

They were teammates during one of the most famous dynasties in NBA history, winning six championships together with the Chicago Bulls.

So getting Pippen's autograph on a Jordan-related item can create a very interesting piece of basketball memorabilia.

We also saw Dream Team pieces and other items connecting Pippen to major moments from his career.

Some Items Are Much Harder to Sign Than Others

A flat 8x10 photo is pretty straightforward.

A card is usually pretty straightforward.

But what happens when someone sends in something enormous?

One of the more unusual items at this signing was a giant image that Caleb described as almost billboard-sized.

The question became:

How do you even get Scottie Pippen to sign it?

They eventually laid the piece down so he could get into a position where he could comfortably apply the autograph.

A broad white paint marker was used for the signature.

That's a great example of something customers rarely see.

Different memorabilia requires different preparation.

The size, material, autograph location and pen all matter.

Sometimes you don't know exactly how an unusual item will need to be handled until you're standing there with the athlete.

What Were Some of the Coolest Scottie Pippen Items?

There were plenty of interesting pieces at this signing.

One that stood out to Caleb was a red PMG card.

There were also Michael Jordan-related pieces and Dream Team memorabilia.

Those are the types of items that make professional signings interesting even for people who attend them regularly.

You never know what collectors are going to send in.

Sometimes we'll see a card we haven't seen before.

Sometimes it's an unusual photograph.

Sometimes it's a piece of game-used or historically interesting memorabilia.

And sometimes it's something so large that everyone has to figure out how the athlete is going to sign it.

Scottie Pippen's Autograph Has Changed Over Time

Another interesting part of collecting autographs is watching how an athlete's signature changes.

Pippen's autograph today isn't exactly the same as it was earlier in his career.

Caleb noted that Pippen used to have a longer signature where more of his name was readable.

His current autograph is shorter.

That's extremely common.

Athletes who have signed thousands—or hundreds of thousands—of autographs often shorten their signatures over time.

But one thing we noticed at this signing was that Pippen still has very nice handwriting on inscriptions.

That can make a big difference on a finished piece.

Not Every Scottie Pippen Inscription Was Available

Here's another important lesson for collectors:

Never assume an inscription will be available just because you've seen the athlete write it before.

Signing rules can change.

For this particular Pippen signing, he wasn't doing his jersey number as an inscription.

That's a pretty basic request, but it still wasn't available.

One customer had an item already signed by Dennis Rodman and wanted several Pippen inscriptions added.

Because one requested inscription wasn't permitted, we had to adjust the order.

In this case, it actually worked out nicely because Pippen's inscriptions ended up visually matching the Rodman inscriptions already on the piece.

But it demonstrates why customers need to pay attention to the rules for each specific signing.

How to Prepare Your Item for an Autograph Signing

If you're sending something to Powers Sports Memorabilia for an upcoming autograph signing, one of the best things you can do is make your instructions easy to understand.

Follow the submission instructions.

Clearly label your item.

Make sure your requested pen color is clear.

Make sure any inscription is listed correctly.

If you're requesting authentication or card grading, make sure that's clearly indicated.

And most importantly, check which inscriptions are actually available for that particular signing.

The easier your instructions are to understand, the easier it is for us to make sure the finished item matches what you requested.

Why We Attend Autograph Signings in Person

There's a lot that can happen during an autograph signing.

A pen doesn't work correctly.

An unusual item requires a different setup.

The athlete has a question.

An inscription isn't allowed.

A customer has requested something that needs clarification.

That's why having someone there who understands the orders matters.

For this signing, Caleb wasn't simply flying to California to meet Scottie Pippen.

He was there representing our customers and their memorabilia.

That's the real job.

Meeting the athlete is the fun part.

Making sure the items get handled correctly is the important part.

The Experience Is Part of the Fun

Caleb's entire California trip lasted only about 26 hours.

He flew in.

Prepared the items.

Attended the Pippen signing.

Got a photo with Scottie.

Saw some incredible memorabilia.

Managed to squeeze in a fresh lobster roll.

And then flew home.

That's a pretty quick turnaround.

But Caleb called it one of the best trips he's had since working with Powers Sports Memorabilia.

That's one of the reasons we still enjoy doing these signings.

Even after participating in many professional autograph signings over the years, every athlete and every event is a little different.

Final Thoughts on the Scottie Pippen Autograph Signing

For collectors, an autograph signing can look simple from the outside.

Send an item.

The athlete signs it.

The item comes back.

But there's a lot happening behind the scenes.

Travel.

Scheduling.

Organization.

Security.

Pen selection.

Inscription rules.

Authentication.

Customer instructions.

And occasionally figuring out how to get an NBA legend to sign something the size of a billboard.

Our recent Scottie Pippen autograph signing was a great example of that process.

It also gave Caleb the chance to meet one of his favorite players from the Bulls era and gave our customers an opportunity to add Pippen's autograph to some very special pieces.

Hopefully, we'll have another opportunity to work with Scottie Pippen in the future.

Until then, this was a fun look at something collectors don't always get to see:

What really happens behind the scenes at a professional autograph signing.