Autograph Hell

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 ...

Report: LeBron James Autographed High School Jersey on Sale for $50K By Dan Carson , Featured Columnist For the low, introductory price of $50,000, you can own what's alleged to be an authentic LeBron James St. Vincent-St. Mary High School jersey. Freelance hoops writer Scott Rafferty stumbled on the jersey's eB ay auction, which claims James wore the jersey during his senior year of high school. But is it legit ? The auctioneer provides a laundry list of certifications from Vintage Authentics  and Upper Deck claiming an authenticated witness saw James sign the jersey. The seller, City Liquidators Autograph Store, is based in Garden City, New York , and has positive feedback on thousands of sales, so the jersey might just be the genuine article. Regardless, $50,000 for an autographed James jersey (even one with a UV-protected case!) is a...

For years, Scott Smith had tried to find the woman who appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated on Oct. 17, 1960. Model Dolores Greer died last month. The search for a Los Angeles woman who 53 years ago was a Sports Illustrated cover girl has ended sadly for a collector of autographs from cover subjects. Model Dolores Greer, 81, died last month on the same day that cover autograph collector Scott Smith was being interviewed by The Times. Greer's obituary appeared in Sunday's Times. The saga of Smith's search for the model who illustrated the magazine's Oct. 17, 1960, cover story on the "new look in sports clothes" has spanned more than three decades. The retired New Jersey investment banker and corporate debt specialist has collected the signatures of 4,413 individuals who have been featured on 2,913 of the sports magazine's covers. He figures he has the autographs of 95% of all cover subjects. Tuesday's s...