How to Start Your Very Own Autograph Collection
The first step is to make a list of people whose autograph you want to get. However in reality, most of my own autographs have come from people and at places that I never dreamed I would be meeting or getting their autograph. My favorite autograph is a Wilt Chamberlain signed basketball. Sadly he has past away but Wilt was one of my favorite basketball players and I loved watching clips of his games. I first saw Chamberlain at my summer sports camp. He arrived as a guest to talk about his love of basketball. Once he was done with the clinic he signed autographs and made sure that every child who wanted his autograph got it. Luckily for me my camp had advertised him coming to camp about a week in advance so I had time to go out and buy a basketball for him to sign. I waited in line for nearly 2 hours but it was well worth the wait and I got to meet Wilt Chamberlain in person which is one of my happiest moments. I now keep the autograph on a shelf and every time I look at it or one of my friends see it I have a story to tell and a smile on my face.
Another way of getting autographs is through family members. When I was at the age of 11 I was looking through one of my closets when I came across a very old football with old stitching and a name signed on it. I didn’t recognize the signature so I asked my father whose was it. He told me the story of how he got Y.A. Tittle’s signature along with Ally Sherman who were both great NFL players in the earliest days of the NFL games. Even though my dad wasn’t that big of a sports fan, he kept the autograph anyway because of the story and memory that came with it and gave it to me as a gift to add to my collection.
Of course there is also the customary approach of going to a ball game during batting practice and asking a baseball or basketball player to sign a ball. If they have time they will gladly sign it for you.
In the new age of modern technology a new way of getting autographs has quickly emerged and that is through eBay and online auction sites. My uncle has an entire boxing autograph set of boxers from Joe Frasier to Ali and Tyson and it is something I marvel at. He got these autographs by bidding on them online. As the old expression goes, “What’s one main’s garbage is another man’s treasure” or something like that.
Another great way to get an autograph is by writing to them. Living in New York City I have always admired former mayor Rudolph Giuliani and I wanted his autograph to add to my collection. So I decided to write to him. Not only did he sign his name, but Giuliani wrote a letter back to me with the seal of New York City and his signature in ink attached. I now have that letter framed on my wall which I am very proud of.
A final way to seek autographs is by checking websites, newspapers or magazines of celebrities and places or events they will be at. At certain events such as camera photo ops, celebrities and sports players usually sign autographs.
