5 comments about Sign This.

1. This was a fascinating book to read as it is a sports book about the real personalities of sports personalities. Specifically, how a collection of professional athletes behaves when asked to make paid personal appearances and autograph material. How they react to unscheduled requests for autographs is also included in the analysis. There is a top ten good guy's list:
   
   *) Brooks Robinson
   *) Harmon Killebrew
   *) Lee Roy Selmon
   *) Otto Graham
   *) The Famous Chicken
   *) Monte Irvin
   *) Billy Williams
   *) Muhammad Ali
   *) Alan Trammell
   *) Dale Murphy
   
   They are people who always go out of their way to be polite and helpful. The only name on the list that surprised me was Ali, it appears that the loud mouth attitude that he projected was an artificial one. There is a companion top ten jerks list:
   
   *) Willie Mays
   *) Rickey Henderson
   *) Errict Rhett
   *) Mike Schmidt
   *) Darryl Strawberry
   *) Reggie Jackson
   *) Joe Dimaggio
   *) Pete Rose
   *) Gaylord Perry
   *) Denny McLain
   
   I cannot say that there were any surprises in this list.
   One hundred other sports celebrities are also ranked and there is a chapter devoted to Mickey Mantle, the most popular athlete. The author organizes sports celebrity appearances, so nearly all of the commentary is based on the author's personal experiences. It is indexed based on the athletes' name, so if you are interested in a particular figure, then this book will provide you with accurate information.



2. This book is a must have for anyone who spends Mondays cleaning black sharpie marker off their hands. You definately have to check out the Jerks and Good Guys lists to see if your favorite signers are there, and who you should not even try to get (unless you want to get yelled at).



3. I'm not a sports fan in the least, but I enjoyed Sign This immensely. Tom's stories about hundreds of his experiences are placed in an editorial column format, giving you just the information you need to know and usually containing a witty side note. If you ever wanted to know how our sports heroes from the last 4 decades really act, this book is a must read.



4. "Sign This" is a must read for any true sports fan. Unlike other books about sports personalities, Tom Bunevich cuts the fluff and tells it as it is when your heros are behind closed doors. I'm the kind of guy who needs to hear it straight from the horses mouth and in "Sign This," Bunevich seems to be the perfect horse. I don't think you could ask for a more fair and honest appraisal of sports personalities than from an author who has obviously danced with the greatest names. If you want to find out if the personality of your hero dims as the camera lights fade away - read "Sign This."

   The stories are fair to all. If a guy's a jerk, Bunevich lays it on the line and says so. But in fairness, "Sign This" certainly acknowledges those stars whose personalities off the field shine as brightly as their accomplishments on the field. Find the story on Dale Murphy and see if that still happens in todays era of autograph collecting!

   Bunevich also provides a great history from when autographs were just a hobby to the indusrty it is now. Check out Bunevich's first autograph guest in the mid 80's - a young New York flamethrower named Dwight Gooden - and see what an autograph ticket cost back then. You also might want to get a calculator to check what you could have saved by reading what Mickey Mantle charged for an autograph 15-20 years ago.

   Raed "Sign This"- I hope Bunevich's next project will be as honest and insightful as this one!!!




5. A really great book. I bought one for my brother who has always been a sports nut. I remember him following the careers of many of the people mentioned in the book. The stories about the players were interesting and enlightening. Most of the stories about the 10 bad guys confirmed my opionion. Same for the 10 good guys. You don't really have to be interested in collecting sports memorabilia to enjoy this book. I am sure everyone will find the stories interesting and enjoyable. It is definitely a book you will want to read and share with friends. Better yet, buy two, one to keep and one to give away.

5 comments about The Official Autograph Collector Price Guide, 2nd Edition: Over 60,000 Values to Autographs in All Fields! (Official Autograph Collector Price Guide).

1. This book is exactly what I've been looking for!!? It lists the values of names I couldn't find anywhere else, as well as displaying informative data on collecting!!



2. This book was a huge disappointment. Sure, it lists prices for thousands of autographs, but the "facsimiles" section is a joke. I highly doubt anyone is losing sleep wondering if their "Peggy Moran", "Bill Withers" or "Marjorie Ann Kent" (who?) signatures are authentic or not, yet space is wasted with these names, while more famous, more collectable ones (Garland, Astaire, etc.) are left out. And to top it off, some of these examples are captioned with glaring typos: "Michael Cain", instead of "Caine", "Kristy MacNichols", instead of "MacNichol". And this guy's an expert?



3. The book is great in showing the values of many famous people's autographs of pictures, letters, or just signatures on index cards. The only downfall of the book is that it doesn't have any sports athletes listed in the book.



4. Hundreds of pages listing values. I would have liked more information on each auto. Also more inforamtive chapters.And more examples.



5. This is the best autograph price guide available! I like it because it is published by the leading autograph entity in the world! Autograph Collector magazine is great, and the publishers have been putting out the magazine for over 12 years! No one has better access to current, up-to-date data than the publisher of this book.

3 comments about The Official Autograph Collector Price Guide, 4th Edition (Official Autograph Collector Price Guide).

1. It is good to have a reference, but it must be absolutely improved.
   Items like how it is organized is a critical item.
   Also it is mostly for US celebrities autographs, but if you are looking for non-US celebrities, you may be disappointed.



2. The author is a member of the respected Universal Autograph Collectors Club, which is a non-profit organization comprised of autograph collectors founded in 1965. The UACC gave high marks to this book, which is why I gave it a try.
   
   The author does an excellent job of providing an overview of the various markets (historical figures, presidents, celebs, etc.) and gives some solid insight into collecting and what to look for. It's obvious he knows his stuff.
   
   I'll have to agree with the first reviewer, though, in that the book is not easy to navigate. There's no comprehensive alphabetical listing of the people named in the book, so you'll have to hunt for what you're looking for, assuming what you're looking for is listed somewhere.
   
   Most annoying are the abbreviations used. I'm a long-time collector, but I found myself desperately searching for the meanings of several of the abbreviations used - and they were not easy to find. A brief table at the beginning of each chapter defining these abbreviations would be fine, or just spell them out in smaller print on each page. Not difficult.
   
   The ads in the book didn't bother me as it's a reference book, not a novel you'd sit down and read cover to cover. But what did bother me was the many typos and misspellings throughout (i.e Marrtin instead of Martin). This could have easily been avoided by having someone proofread the final draft. Easy!
   
   To Mr. Baker's credit, it is obvious he did exhaustive research for this book, and a lot of the information he shares is interesting and informative. I hope when it's time for the fifth edition that he seriously considers adding an alphabetical index and double-checking the text for misspellings. And although the author clearly states that each list is not meant to be complete (just representative, which is fair), I'd still like to see more entries in the more popular categories, such as celebrities and music.



3. Nice introductory materials, including market perspectives and a market analysis, and loaded with names of the famous and not-so-famous.
   
   Because of the layout of the chapters, however, you might have some difficulty locating a particular person in your search for an autograph value. For example, in which chapter would you hunt for Howard Hughes? Aviation? Business Leaders, Economists, Financiers, and Publishers? Newsmakers? Then again, why would I want to hunt? A purely alphabetical listing would prevent quite a few headaches, or an index would end my misery altogether.
   
   Or would it? Because unless you live and breath the autograph world, the abbreviations in this book will befuddle you. The abbreviations and what they mean should be printed on each page, even if in very small print, because locating the abbreviation keys (different in each chapter, it seems) is an exercise in utter madness.
   
   Finally, with all the advertising in this book--yes, advertising, starting with a full-page ad on the inside-front cover!--it should be priced like a large magazine at maybe $5.95 or so. The $24.95 cover price seems hard to justify with so many ads--including ads interspersed throughout the book, 24 consecutive pages at the back, and one big ad that dominates the back cover! It's a book-a-zine!
   
   I'll give Baker's book two stars out of five for its comprehensive coverage of the autograph field, but not more. I'm still trying to locate a few signatures, but with no index, I'm getting tired of hunting.

5 comments about Free Autographs By Mail: 4,000+ Verified Celebrity Addresses.

1. Yes, this book is full of addresses to so many different types of people. Unknown to us if the mail ever arrived to the addresses we used all we can say is we never received any replies to any letters we sent out. Quite disappointing.



2. This book was written almost 7 years ago, so current stars aren't included in this list, and the ones that are, are from the 80's and early 90's. I wrote a few letters, but don't expect any responses since there is a good chance that their addresses have changed. The people who are included in this book are old stars, and of no interest to younger readers (30 something and below). I'm sorry I wasted my money on this book because every star that I wanted to write to did not have their address in this book. If you are serious about writing and getting free autographs, invest in a current book that includes more than 4,000 addresses.



3. This is the second book that I've ordered by this author and neither disappointed me! Nicely done!



4. I love autographs and LOVE this book! I've purchased all the others and this one is by far the very best that I've tried. It's about time that collectors have a book where the addresses DO work! AWESOME BOOK!



5. I found this book to be very up-to-date, accurate and time saving. Since receiving it, I've already gotten a large amount of autographs using the addresses contained in this book. I look forward to any future books by this knowledgeable author!

No comments about Autographs: Identification and Price Guide.

4 comments about Collecting Baseball Memorabilia: A Handbook.

1. This book is great for anybody that has an interest in collecting baseball memorablia. Mr. Zachofsky has unique suggestions for collecting autographs and how to display them.



2. I received this book as a gift and was very impressed with the suggestions and the history it gave. I have since begun creating my own Baseball Memorabilia Room and I have even gotten a few Hall of Famer autographs. I find this book extremely helpful for any collectors, experienced or new to the hobby. I think this book is fantastic and it is the "BIBLE" of any collecting manual. With the upcoming baseball season, it really makes a great read especially if you're interested in starting a memorabilia room. The forward to the book is written by one of my all time favorites, Duke Snider -- very impressive! Also, I love the pictures that are included! I highly recommend this book!



3. After 5 years of struggling collecting baseball memorabilia, I've finally found the magna carta for this fascinating hobby. Attempting to collect the key signatures for this hobby is the ultimate goal. Collecting Baseball Memorabilia A Handbook makes it easy, enjoyable and is a great investment. Lastly, since I've purchased this book, I've added 5 Hall of Famers to my collection without the stress because of the knowldedge found in this book.



4. Since collecting baseball cards many years ago I have always been an admirer of Baseball memorabilia collections. I never started on because it always seemed too difficult. This book makes it easy. From the aficionado to the novice,from the young to the old,this book encompasses all aspects for starting,adding to, or preserving a baseball collection. Amazing insight into the collecting world it gives great advice and tips that are so valuable to a new or even seasoned collector. This book is the "Ball Four" for collectors as it gives an insiders view from someone did it. It has interesting comments and synopsis of Hall of Famers and baseball park and team information. Concise and easy to read with great photos and a foreword by the "Duke of Flatbush",my hero. A must read for anyone into collecting or who enjoys baseball memories.

5 comments about The Standard Guide to Collecting Autographs: A Reference & Value Guide.

1. I don't know if there are many people out there who can lay claim to a Louis XIII autograph, or even a George Washington autograph. If they did, they probably also have Jesus Christ on a baseball.

   My point is, there are listings for hundreds if not thousands of people whose autographs probably don't even exist. The book is good for referencing celebrities and sports stars, but there are far too many pages dedicated to the various types of William Henry Harrison signatures, and other topics we need not explore.

   If this is the "standard guide" it should be a little more up to date. I would rather see five facimilies of a Robert De Niro or a Mickey Mantle autograph than of somebody who has been dead for 500 years, because you know what-- chances are I won't be getting their signature any time soon, so I won't need to compare it to a facimile.

   This book is a very comprehensive price guide for today's celebrities and sports stars, which is why I give it a four star rating. But if the book spent less time dealing with signatures from centuries ago, and more time dealing with the stars of today and tommorow (I got Heidi Klum's sig the other day, and she isn't listed-- she is probably one of the most famous models in the world), it would truly be the best autograph guide out there.




2. Wow, after reading so many books about autographs finally a realistic book enters the market. Unlike the Sanders guide it it deals with values at a realistic level and why not Baker has written more books about the subject than any other author in this genre. Not since Charles Hamilton's books on the subject have I ever learned so much, Bravo!



3. I'm not a fan of monopolies, but in this case, the Sanders Price Guide is the one and only. This book tries to be the "standard?" Sanders is the standard in the field, and while ambitious, this book simply doesn't measure up. Good for facsimilies, but that's about it.



4. This huge 608 page volume is loaded to the gills with over 50,000 autograph values covering 15,000 names. More than 1,000 facsimile signatures and photos of autographed items are shown. There are numerous chapters of background information that will be of interest and value to experienced autographers as well as novices. This book covers topics including sports, entertainment, music, artists, literary, business, medicine, space, heads of state and much, much more. The index alone is over 70 pages!! It provides accurate pricing, informative insight into market trends and many current topics. A super reference book.



5. This book filled with facsimile signatures and finally some accurate prices for a variety of autographs. The author's analysis of the market is also included and alone worth the purchase price.Well worth purchasing by anyone who loves the hobby!

3 comments about The Negro Leagues Autograph Guide.

1. I got this book because I collect autographs, but I enjoyed reading the book for the short bio written about each player. It's easy to read all about the famous Negro Leaguers, but in this book you can learn a lot about some of the lesser known, but very good players. I think this book is great for both autograph and baseball history buffs.



2. This book was a delight to read and will be a great reference in the future. The authors did a thorough, scholarly research effort and it shows in the quality of the information in the book. Though the focus is on autographs, I felt the background on the players and other history was worth the price of the book alone. A must for autograph collectors and of great value to anyone interested in the Negro Leagues of American baseball history. Congrats to the authors on an outstanding job!



3. The book not only gives you a run down of the players career and their history but shares with the reader the variations in the signature that transpired from playing days to reunion times. Gives a scarcity report on the autograph besides the price range value. Superb reading!!

No comments about The Sander's Price Guide to Sports Autographs: The World's Leading Autograph Pricing Authority (Sanders Price Guide to Sports Autographs).

2 comments about Autographs: A Reference and Price Guide for Sports and Celebrity Autographs.

1. I purchased this book expecting to get a complete listing of values for autographs of celebrities and athletes. What I got was nothing more than a reproduction of the listings that Beckett includes in its monthly publications. With the exception of about 200 prices for celebrity autographs (which is a far cry from the thousands you would find in other publications), this book has nothing that you can't get in a monthly issue of Beckett. It may have a few nice pictures, but that does not make up for its lack of content. And the prices are obscene! Is a Dean Cain sig worth more than Willie Mays? Or for that matter is Dean Cain worth more than Jack Nicholson? Where do they get their information? They spend way too much time listing prices for autograph inserts manufactured by card companies, and not enough time listing prices for REAL autographs obtained by collecters. Can I get my twenty-five bucks back?



2. I am not being critical when I say, in retrospect I would not have purchased this book. The general info listed above doesn't really tell what you what you're buying, so I'll try to give you a bit more info here. Don't expect to learn a price estimate for your John Wayne photo here. There are about 500 Hollywood celebrity names and price estimates, but they are all living performers. The baseball section is better. There's an active player section as well as a lengthy retired section, including deceased players -- with price estimates. NO signature samples of the celebrities are included. About 150 baseball players (past and present) signature samples are included. There are football, basketball hockey boxing and other sports sections which are similar to the baseball section. There's also a lot about trading cards, but I'm no expert on how good that is. I'm not saying how good or bad this book is. I just want to help you know what you're buying.