Autograph Hell

Shaun Smillie The prominent pieces of the collection are the Lennon signature and the autographs The Beatles signed at their 1963 Royal Command performance. File photo Image by: GETTY IMAGES Christine got around. She hobnobbed with the stars of her day, if only briefly. But in those brief encounters, she persuaded them to append their autographs - and she did it over and over. The band The Searchers signed her book, as did Cliff Richard. John Lennon signed it twice. Christine collected those autographs more than half a century ago and next week they are expected to fetch tens of thousands of rands at auction in Johannesburg. The prominent pieces of the collection are the Lennon signature and the autographs The Beatles signed at their 1963 Royal Command performance. It was at this performance, in front of Princess Margaret, that Lennon famously remarked: "The people in the cheaper seats, clap your hands. And...

Michael Kahlig of Arlington scored a helmet-full of autographs in just one day. By Stefan Stevenson/Fort Worth Star-Telegram They arrive long before the bustling begins. Globe Life Park is usually still a quiet, peaceful place when the small group begins to gather on the grass by some trees at the lip of the tunnel where Texas Rangers players and officials enter a parking garage under the stadium. There, a group of diehard Rangers fans, typically no more than a dozen, all wearing team colors, sit and wait. They’re autograph seekers and there’s a group just like them at every Major League ballpark. Of course, autographs are nothing new to sports fans. Baseball players can be seen before most games signing along the first and third base lines at home or on the road. It’s part of the history of the game, one that players generally ...

I have Reggie Jackson to thank for a recent personal epiphany. A few people before it was my turn to get an autograph last Saturday, a man had to wait as Reggie “Mr. October” Jackson put pepper on the sandwich he was eating. I snapped this cell phone picture of MLB Hall of Fame outfielder Reggie Jackson April 11 at a signing in the Twin Cities. I’d hoped to capture him signing my bat, but I failed and got him looking at me to silently ask where I wanted him to sign the bat. When it was my turn to get his autograph at the Sportsnews Production Show on April 11 at the Earl Brown Center in Brooklyn Center, I took out my phone to get a photo of the hall of fame outfielder known as Mr. October signing my bat. I looked up to see him staring at me and pointing at the bat with a look of “Where do you want me to sign this?” Without saying a word, he kept pointing until I picked ...

By Tony Henderson Tony Weightman reckons there are around 3,000 autographs in his collection which will be sold by Anderson & Garland in Newcastle Tony Weightman (left), a spiked trainer worn by Jonathan Edwards (top) and Elton John's tracksuit (bottom) The haul from years of tracking down celebrity signatures by a North East businessman will be auctioned on Tuesday. Tony Weightman reckons there are around 3,000 autographs in his collection which will be sold by Anderson & Garland in Newcastle. He runs management development consultancy Weightman Associates, based in Gosforth in Newcastle, and has gathered signatures during his worldwide travels for work and sporting events. His business career has seen him work for Procter & Gamble, Unilever and at director level for Scottish and Newcastle Breweries. “My first autograph was Mohammed Ali and that started me off. I had idolised him when I was a kid,” said Tony. ...

Sad to hear about the loss of golfer, Charlie Sifford.  I will always remember meeting him - a really cool guy.   (CNN) Charlie Sifford, the first African-American to play on the PGA Tour, died Tuesday at age 92, the Professional Golfers' Association of America said. "His love of golf, despite many barriers in his path, strengthened him as he became a beacon for diversity in our game," PGA of America President Derek Sprague said in a statement. "By his courage, Dr. Sifford inspired others to follow their dreams. ... Golf was fortunate to have had this exceptional American in our midst." Sifford was called the Jackie Robinson of golf for breaking the color barrier in 1961 when he was 38 years old. "I wanted to prove that a black man could play golf," he told   CNN affiliate WEWS   after he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in November. His son told the station that his father was advised by Robinson to use his smooth sw...

Celebrity autographs are big business, bought and sold for hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars.  An Illinois man started collecting autographs of athletes and movie stars as a kid. And 43 years later, he’s still going strong. “Hi, I’m Marty Peters. I’m from Coal City, Illinois, and I am an autograph collector. (Marty opens a photo album)  This is what I call my beginning for my autographs. I’ve been a sports nut my whole life. (Marty holds up Bill Melton’s picture)  “This is Bill Melton, 3 rd baseman for the Chicago White Sox. This woulda been back in 1971. It was my very first autograph that I ever got.  I have, give or take a few, right around the 30,000 mark. That bin right there I completely forgot I had. You wouldn’t believe what they’re going for on E-bay. My cousin, Rick Roseland, he collected autographs for many years.  He’s 15 years older than me, and at 6 years old he got me started on doing this.” “I’m Rick Roseland, Coal City...