Autograph Hell

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...

Clancy Smyres played in five major league games for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1944 , had two major league at bats and a lifetime batting average of .000.  He died November 27, 2007 in Lancaster California at age 86. To fans of the old Brooklyn Dodgers teams he represents the true definition of the “Cup of Coffee” big leaguer whose moment in the sun was a barely imperceptible blip on the map. To autograph collectors and enthusiasts, the acquisition of his autograph represents the holy grail of impossibilities and a potential monetary value that would exceed that of Hall of Fame icons and legends like Babe Ruth or Lou Gehrig. But why? As a long- time member of SABR (Society for American Baseball Research) and an autograph collector and dealer for over half my life, the question had always intrigued me. The explanation of why so many former players autographs are tough to find is simple; they died young or vanished after their playing careers. Not so with Clancy who li...

Cam Newton autographs cleats  for wheelchair-bound fan after practice Chuck Burton/Associated Press Cam Newton autographs cleats for fan SPARTANBURG, S.C. —   Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton made one fan's day Monday after training camp practice in Spartanburg. As Newton was walking off the field, he spotted a young man in a wheelchair. He then walked over to the man and proceeded to take off his cleats, autograph them and hand them to the fan. According to Sports Illustrated's Peter King, after taking a picture with the wheelchair-bound fan, Newton walked off, leaving the man smiling from ear to ear.   To order my book Autograph Hell, please click HERE For more information about my Summit Murder Mystery series, please  CLICK HERE Follow me on twitter,  HERE 'Like' my Facebook page,  HERE Subscribe to my YouTube channel,  HERE  and  HERE Article source: http://bleacherreport.com/