Collecting Ink (Feb.): Pre-draft football, one big sig, fake autos, a mystery signer, vintage gems, one from the toy aisle & more

Many people collect autographs -- but not in the same ways -- and not all autographs are made alike. Some are mass-produced, some are in packs. Some are personalized, some are not. Some have all kinds of documentation and many more have none ... here's a look at a few that entered my collection in recent months.

CERTIFIED INK (AUTOS FROM PACKS)
The Item: Germie Bernard 2024 Bowman University Best of 2024 Autographs Gold Refractor (/50)
What It Cost Me: $30
What's It Worth: We’ll see ...
The Buzz: Bernard was a go-to receiver for the Alabama Crimson Tide last year with 64 receptions for 862 yards and seven TDs along with 19 carries for 101 yards and a pair of scores on the ground. Are they dominating numbers? Not really -- they’re more of a reminder that the Nick Saban era is definitely over -- but he did lead the team in receiving yards. The next stop for Bernard should be somewhere in the NFL in some kind of role and now’s the time to be picking off any promising names you like -- their season hype has fallen off by and draft talk has perhaps not picked up that heavily just yet ... but it’s coming. I picked off this just to cross him off my list -- I try to have something for most names who make it to the next level for my team and call it good. Since a lot of players have NIL deals, you can find a lot more than you might think leading up to the NFL Draft in late April.
Find Ink At: BlowoutCards.com

Keep reading for a look at more autographs of different types.

Jackie Cooper and Judy Garland at the Brown Derby in 1937.

RETRO INK
The Item: Jackie Cooper autograph book page
What It Cost Me: Less than $4 in a meaty vintage lot.
What's It Worth: More than $4 but probably less than many expect ... he signed a lot during a career that spanned from 1929 to 1990 -- that’s part of eight decades.
The Buzz: His longevity is in part thanks to the early start as a child actor on Our Gang -- aka The Little Rascals -- and that also helped him to become the youngest nominee for Best Actor at the Oscars as just a 9-year-old in 1931 for a different project. (His only Oscar nomination.) In more modern years -- still quite a while ago and where I know him from best -- Cooper played Daily Planet Editor Perry White in the four Superman films starring Christopher Reeve in the 1970s and 1980s. (You can read more about his career and see a photo gallery here.) The lot of seriously old autograph book sigs and other cuts that I landed this in actually had two of his autos but I’ll save the other for another time. This one seemed interesting to me with it being dated to a specific day and location 83 years ago by its recipient -- a January day at the famed Brown Derby in Hollywood -- a who’s who spot for the famous. You can see one of his stops there along with a name many will know.
Find Ink At: Non-sports boxes at BlowoutCards.com

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CERTIFIED INK (THIRD-PARTY AUTHENTICATION)
The Item: Edge (aka Cope ... aka Adam Copeland) autographed 8-by-10 WWE photo (PSA authenticated )
What It Cost Me: $12.50 as part of a mystery box spot that actually landed a second autograph, too. (That’s how this was so cheap.)
What's It Worth: Varies by item type -- he’s not a rare sig but he’s also not a name found in a boatload of card releases. He’s roughly $30-40 and up depending on card or item.
The Buzz: I landed this WWE Hall of Famer who’s still at it these days over in AEW on the cheap and that made this one a win as I don’t have a lot of ink for him compared to others. His career includes many a highlight in both achievements as well as insane matches and moments -- and another massive highlight is his comeback from neck surgery early on in his career not once but twice. After his first surgery, he wrestled for another decade before spinal stenosis developed -- and he’s come back from that, too. (He talks about it all here.) Copeland took several years off, had a second surgery and eventually returned to the ring after realizing he was fine after a bicycle accident that should have been a lot more problematic than it was. (That’s the quick version of his story.) In short, he’s a badass and an engaging personality at seemingly any time.
Find Ink At: WWE boxes at BlowoutCards.com

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BY GEORGE ... IT’S SOME MYSTERY INK!
The Item: An autographed 8-by-10 photo of ... you tell me
What It Cost Me: Not much at all as part of a lot deal.
What's It Worth: Once I figure out who it is I can figure that out, so ... you tell me.
The Buzz: I picked off some super cheap autograph lots not that long ago with some celebs, TV hosts, media stars, athletes, musicians and more in the mix. Many are inscribed -- the lots were literally piecing out a veteran collector's life-long stash -- with some familiar faces and then some autos where I have no idea who it is ... just like the seller who just wanted them gone. This is clearly some kind of TV series portrait and that first name might be George but I’ll let one of you tell me and then update this piece accordingly.
Find Ink: Non-sports boxes at BlowoutCards.com

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STREAMED INK
The Item: Shotzi Blackheart autographed 11-by-14 photo (via live streamed signing)
What It Cost Me: $41
What's It Worth: Doesn’t matter to me ... but I think this would be worth more than I paid with its impressive look and extra touches.
The Buzz: My favorite wrestler did a streamed signing not that long ago where she did a few doodles and other fun inscriptions on some of the pieces -- by request -- so when I saw this Photoshop montage with all that wide open space I went for it. I asked if she could sign a huge auto (remember, this is already an oversized image) and then fill that gap with her logo she’s used on merch much of her career. I watched it happen and have the video to prove it. (You can see a still at right.) Streamed documentation is as cool as it gets and this is cooler than cool. I don’t normally go for a lot of the Photoshopped mash-up photos with some designs that can be funky ... but this one really works.
Find Ink At: WWE boxes at BlowoutCards.com

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FAKE INK
The Item: Preprinted cast photo of The West Wing
What It Cost Me: Pocket change in a lot.
What's It Worth: Something as a press photo ... but that’s not because of the facsimile autographs.
The Buzz: When it comes to celebrity autograph requests through the mail back in the day -- as well as in the here and now -- there are a few things to watch for if you actually do get something back. This is a classic example of a pre-printed auto with a twist. It looks like a typical press photo with logos and info used for promotion ... but with weird gray/silver sigs on the printed image. It’s an obvious pre-print. There are a lot of real-looking fakes out there, though, but thankfully a lot of them are so repetitious they can be spotted once you know what to look for. I’ll pop some examples of those things into the lineup here in future months.
Find Ink At: Non-sports boxes at BlowoutCards.com

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PROMOTIONAL INK
The Item: Mark Martin 2004 autographed Viagra Racing Team 8-by-10 driver card
What It Cost Me: Not much at all as part of a lot deal.
What's It Worth: Perhaps a tad more than just a general signed photo since the back makes this more like a card covering a specific time -- and it was only used during that time -- though he’s not a tough auto generally speaking.
The Buzz: This also came from one of my quick and easy autograph lot deals. Martin is a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame who won 40 races during his lengthy career and finished second in the season Cup standings five times and third four other years. I haven’t been to a NASCAR event in a long time -- a few years just before this -- but it wasn’t uncommon back then for teams to have a stand at their hauler with a stack of these for fans (not signed) for easy access and ink if they spotted their driver on a break. Stuff like this also was routinely used for appearances and through-the-mail requests and they’d regularly change just like sponsors, paint schemes and stats every year.
Find Ink At: NASCAR boxes at BlowoutCards.com

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MY MISSING INK
The Item: Ray Manzarek autographed 1991 Pro Set SuperStars MusicCards
What It Cost Me: A couple of stamps in the early 1990s ... as this was a through-the-mail auto.
What's It Worth: A lot more now than back then ... he’s routinely a $150 (or more) auto.
The Buzz: I spotted this in my files of past autos and, well, I’m still salty about this card. Huh? Well, it’s been five years since this -- and some other stuff -- was lost/stolen/destroyed in USPS hands on its way to BAS for my first submission there and I’m still miffed. The legendary band’s keyboardist died at age 74 in 2013 and was a regular signer via the mail -- I have other stuff -- but this image on this card was a favorite of mine. I just wanted this in a slab for presentation with that big, bold sig.
Find Ink At: Non-sports boxes at BlowoutCards.com

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TOYING AROUND ... WITH SOME INK
The Item: Thunder Rosa autographed Jazwares AEW Unrivaled Collection Series 9 action figure
What It Cost Me: Around $55
What's It Worth: Her autos aren’t all that pricey/rare but signed figures can run from $50 to $150 depending on condition/type/certification. (Figures are pricier than photos as the item is better to start.)
The Buzz: This auto doesn’t have third-party authentication stickering, but I’m confident in the ink and knowing that there’s plenty of sigs out there that never get certed in the wrestling realm but are perfectly legit. This is one of those times -- and it also came with an inscription at that lower price in the range of things, which was a plus. I own a lot of figures from the past -- tucked away somewhere in storage bins -- from the early 2000s mostly, but a few are signed and I’ll still pick off a first figure for some names or characters if I like them and see them in the wild. I can probably count on two hands (maybe less) my signed figures, though. Why? Storage and wear concerns -- cards and photos are just easier when it comes to autographs and they should age without any issues. You never know how pens and plastic might do over time. Thunder Rosa is a unique star in the American wrestling landscape and has worked around the world -- I was a fan even before she followed my account on Twitter/X/whatever you call it.
Find Ink At: AEW boxes at BlowoutCards.com

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THROUGH-THE-MAIL INK
The Item: Kelly O’Donnell autographed and personalized 1990s 8-by-10 NBC News promo photo (likely through-the-mail auto)
What It Cost Me: Not much at all ... one more from a lot deal.
What's It Worth: Probably not a ton ... but there are exactly zero of these 0r anything like it on eBay ... so prices might surprise if somebody was looking for one.
The Buzz: The collection of autos that my lot buys came from were at times heavy on TV names from the 1990s with this NBC News correspondent -- and she’s still in the game today -- among them. (Read about her career here.) Long ago, I used to do TTM autos and do have a number of sigs like this -- Jerry Springer probably my biggest for non-sports -- but I typically kept things within the sports realm. Pick a name, do some looking and odds are you can find TV personalities or hosts easily, especially if they wrote books.
Find Ink At: Non-sports boxes at BlowoutCards.com

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