How To Get Sports Autographs Via The Mail
How to Get Sports Autographs Via The Mail
From the mid 80’s well into the 1990’s a sports fan would have been able to put together a fairly decent autograph collection via the mail. It was a very common practice for most sports stars to oblige their fans by signing autographs through the mail. But as many other aspects of the sports memorabilia hobby have changed and evolved into a huge booming business over the last few years, so has this practice. Now that is not to say that players don’t sign through the mail anymore, but the stark reality is that a lot of players just can’t keep up with the volumes of requests they receive. Greedy fans and memorabilia dealers are to blame for this because many of them have taken advantage of the player accommodating the request for an autograph by sending in multiple items etc to be signed, which takes up time, which then translates into many other fans not being able to get even one autograph signed. It became very obvious to the players that dealers were sending in multiple items to be signed for the sole purpose of resale in the collectibles market.
Don’t be disheartened by this rather dodgy play by the unscrupulous dealers out there. You can still obtain autographs from current players via the mail, but you must adhere to some guidelines, etiquette, and it may require a little homework on your part first.
How To Make A Request
Short and sweet is the jest of the how to. Always try to include a short handwritten request that does not go on for more than one page. A hand written letter has a more personal touch. Often times when players receive a typed pre-printed letter simply asking for a single autograph they can be hesitant to sign because the letter may just be a form letter and the player may think that once again the autograph is for resale purposes only, and not because the individual seeking the autograph as a true fan. Try to give your letter a personal touch, make a reference to something significant the player did in a game, or reference any other known achievement they have reached in their professional and or public life. You never know if the player has developed and interest in what you have written it may spur him/her on to giving you the autograph with a little inscription as well.
If you are intending on sending items to be signed then keep it to no more than two. Preferably a photo, some people like to send sports cards, but I don’t think that’s a good idea as it detracts the appearance and value of the card in my opinion.
In the past it was not unheard of to have players use rubber stamps, autopens, ghost signers, and even locker room attendants sign fan mail for them. A general rule to keep in mind is the bigger the star the bigger the chance that you may receive an autograph such as this. If you choose to write to a more middle of the road player, the odds are you will receive your authentic autograph, and it will also be returned to you more quickly. When sending your photos etc, don’t send anything that is too valuable in case you don’t get a reply back or it gets lost in the mail some how.
Sugar And Spice And Everything Nice
Another key thing to remember is to be courteous and polite. Treat the player with the same respect you would expect if someone was asking you for a favour. “Please” and “thank you” go an awful long way. Also if the player enjoys your letter and gives you a great response take the time to write a thank you card and send it off. Some players may even request that you make a donation to their foundation or another charitable organization for obtaining the autograph, I think that is great. In a scenario like this everyone wins. Don’t be shy to ask them to personalize the autograph. Player like to do this because then they are sure it is for you and not simply for resale.
What You Will Need
The tools for this job are fairly simple, all you need is some lined paper; two envelopes one to send the request off in and the other is a SASE for the player to send back your autograph. This is important, don’t forget the SASE because no player has time to go to the post office and purchase postage in order to send you an autograph. You will also need what ever item you are sending to be signed. Prior to even beginning to write your letter you should go online and do some research on the addresses to which you can send your request. There also is a book by Jack Smalling which has been published that is called The Baseball Address List, now this book is a little dated so try to find the most current edition if you can. Don’t be surprised if you don’t hear back from your favourite player in a week or two. Sending autograph requests through the mail is a long labour of love on your part and you require a lot of patience. It could take several months, sometimes longer to receive a reply, but just keep the faith.
In Closing
It can be a lot of fun and extremely exciting to be able to get a personal autograph from your favourite player. Sports figures are like everyone else, they enjoy hearing nice things said about them by their fans, and are uausally quite happy to fill an autograph request, all that’s left to do is wait by your mail box with your fingers crossed.
Cami Berardi
You can check out other articles written my me at Ezine Article.Com
