One of the most popular ways to increase the value of your autographed sports cards is to have them authenticated and encapsulated. This not only helps ensure that the autograph is real, but it also protects the card against future wear and tear. My personal preference is using PSA, they are widely considered the leader in autograph authentication. To date, I have sent over 2,500 cards to PSA through group submissions and only one card has failed. One of the biggest questions, that I receive from other collectors interested in participating in these submissions is, “how do you determine which cards to submit?”.
When I first started getting my cards authenticated and “slabbed”, I didn’t take into consideration the future value of the autographed card. I was more concerned with knowing that the autograph was real and protecting it. Now that I have begun to sell my collection, I have taken a closer look at the return on investment and below are the lessons that I have learned.
Autographed Sports Card Collectors Have Unique Interests And Motivations
While I enjoy collecting autographed cards and care about their future value, some collectors do it purely for the enjoyment. The interests of collectors also vary and I think most collectors fall into at least one of these categories:
Through the mail (TTM) autograph collectors – these collectors enjoy writing to athletes in hopes that they will receive their cards back autographed.
In-person (IP) autograph collectors – these collectors enjoy the “chase” of getting autographs in-person whether its waiting outside and hoping to catch a player as they leave the stadium or in some cases at the hotel of visiting teams.
Paid Signings / Sports Card Collecting Event Attendees – these collectors enjoy meeting athletes in-person but would rather not have to endure the “chase”.
Set Collectors – these collectors work on special projects to try and get every card autographed within a set. For example, 1987 Topps Baseball is very popular amongst collectors because of its clean design which is perfect for autographs. Within this category, there are several themes such as team collectors or Hall of Fame collectors.
Depending on which type of autographed card collector you are, influences your decision to authenticate and slab your collection. For example, many TTM collectors who simply enjoy writing fan mail and receiving autographed cards through the mail prefer to store their collection in top loaders or in trading card binders. If they were to make a trade or purchase a card for their collection, it wouldn’t matter to them if the card was authenticated and slabbed. However, for those Hall of Fame collectors who are working on the PSA DNA Set Registry, they would place a premium on having the card already authenticated and slabbed by PSA. There is no right or wrong answer as each collection is personal.
Not All Cards Are Created Equal
When determining which autographed sports cards to authenticate and slab, it is important to evaluate the value and rarity of the card itself. There are several categories of sports cards:
Base cards – these are the common cards that are mass produced and sold in packs.
Rookie cards – while these can be common cards, they tend to be more desirable as they are the first time a player has appeared on a trading card.
Insert cards – while these cards are found in packs, they are typically limited in production and can hold a higher value. Within this category there are short print and numbered cards which are produced at an even lower rate making them harder to find.
As a rule of thumb, if you are getting a base card autographed the majority of the value is being driven by the autograph. As a result, it would be important to consider the status/popularity of the player before getting an autographed base card authenticated and slabbed. Conversely, I got a Bob Cousy 1957 Topps Rookie Card autographed through the mail and because the card is rare and there are reprints out on the market, it would only enhance the value by getting the card and autograph authenticated and slabbed.
All Autograph Authentication Services Are Not Created Equal
As I mentioned above, my preference is using PSA to authenticate and slab my autographed cards and they offer various services that have different pricing.
Basic Autograph Authentication – this is the lowest priced service and it only authenticates the autograph. As you can see in the example below, the autograph is authenticate but the label only says “Trading Card”.
When I first started participating in PSA DNA group submissions, most of my autographed cards were sent via this service and I regret not exploring the other services more deeply. My advice would be to use this service only for custom cards or non-trading cards such as postcards or business cards.
Autograph + Card Authentication – this service not only authenticates the autograph but they also examine the card to determine if it is real. As you can see in the example below, the autograph has been authenticated and the card details are included on the label.
In my opinion this service gives you the most value and has the greatest appeal to most collectors. In most cases, it is only a couple dollars more than the basic service.
Autograph + Autograph Grade + Card Authentication – this service is similar to the one above with the added benefit of having the authenticators review the quality of the autograph itself. They examine the placement and boldness of the signature to determine a grade on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being perfect. Below is an example.
In my opinion this is a nice to have and I only request this service if the signature is from an iconic player and I feel that it will receive a 10 grade. However, for those working on the PSA DNA Set Registry, it is a requirement that the autograph be graded in order to be considered part of the registry.
Autograph + Autograph Grade + Card Authentication + Card Grade – this service is similar to the one above with the added benefit that the reviewer examines the condition of the card itself and grades it on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being perfect. Below is an example.
This is the most expensive service and in my opinion, it is only worth doing if the card is vintage or high-end where having a higher grade would significantly increase the value. For example, an ungraded Randy Johnson 1989 Fleer can be purchased for around $5, however the same card with a PSA 10 sells for $50 unsigned.
Determining the Return On Investment For Autograph Authentication
Now that I have explored the factors that influence the value of authenicated autographed sports cards, let’s look at a couple real-life examples. These examples will help you determine whether you should pay to have your autographed sports cards authenticated if you want to maximizue their value.
Scenario #1 – Should you authenticate an autographed Eric Dickerson 1984 Topps Rookie Card? Based on the last five auctions on eBay for a slabbed version, the average final sale price was $57. Recently, I sold a raw autographed version for $41. When you factor in the cost (roughly $15) to have the autographed card authenticated the return on investment is negligible. As a result, if you goal was to sell and make the most profit, there currently is no benefit to slabbing the card unless it was going to receive a high grade. If you plan to keep the card for the long term, then slabbing it makes sense to help protect the card for future wear and tear.
Scenario #2 – Should you authenticate an autographed Peyton Manning base card? Over the years, in the TTM communities, I have purchased roughly 30 autographed Peyton Manning base cards for $15-20. While he isn’t impossible to get TTM, he is still hit or miss and arguably one of the top 10 greatest NFL players of all-time. Each time, I sent the purchased card to be authenticated so the question remains, was this a smart decision? Based on the last 5 eBay sales of autographed Peyton Manning base cards, the average final sale price was $115. If you factor in the cost to acquire the autographed card ($20) plus the cost to authenticate ($15), the estimated value increases to $115 resulting in a 228% return on investment. Unless you need money immediately, you should never sell an autographed Peyton Manning card without getting it authenticated first.
Conclusion
The decision to authenticate your collection is a personal preference, however if the time comes and you want to sell your collection, my advice would be to review the recent sales of similar cards on eBay to determine the current market value. Like real estate, your autographed sports card collection is only worth what someone is willing to pay you for it. Given that it can take PSA anywhere from 1 to 6+ months to process your submission, my rule of thumb is to only submit cards which will more than double in value by being slabbed.