Are autographs important?

I recently went to the FX show in Orlando and paid $20 per signature to have some of my best pieces autographed - an Attakus Boba Fett, Gentle Giant Boba Fett bust, Attakus Darth Maul, and the Darth Maul Phantom Menace double sided banner that was displayed in Toys'R'Us. I had a bad cold that week and the overall experience was pretty miserable as I tried to juggle cold medicine, kleenex, and a hand-cart of gigantic fragile boxes around a crowded convention center.

It was definitely cool talking with Jeremy Bulloch (who spent a good 10 minutes with me) and Ray Park (although Ray's line was so busy I could barely say 2 words to him) but it felt kind of weird paying them to sign my stuff. I don't begrudge anyone the right to earn a living but I would have expected something like this to be "behind the scenes" where the show sponsor pays them and we just get stuff signed.

I've always justified the amount of money I spend for my pricey stuff by saying "Hey, if I ever get fired I can sell this stuff to pay the rent for a few months"

My question is, do you think an already super-rare Attakus Boba Fett (only 1499 in existence, since I broke one and took it permanently out of circulation) is worth any more if it's signed by Mr. Boba Fett himself Jeremy Bulloch? Or should I have just stayed home in bed that day?

MiteeThoR

 

I dont know,they are cool thing to have but you can look at it either way.

But it`d be better to get the autograph in person,and actually meet the celebrity

 

worth it!!!

jeremy is always worth it!

 

They're definitely worth it to me.

I'm going to C3 and I have a feeling most of my spending money will go towards autographs!

 

It's up to you.

I personally like autographs, and only collect autographs that I get in person at conventions. I like displaying autographed figures on my wall, and feel that they're much more interesting than regular figures. Plus, there's a story behind most of them.

 

It's unfortunate that you had a miserable experience, but don't let that discourage you from getting more autographs in the future! I've had so many priceless experiences meeting Star Wars celebs. It sucks when you barely get to spend any time talking to them (or if they're not interested). That's why my best experiences have mostly been with the smaller players (Mike Quinn, Michael Sheard, David Barclay, etc.).

From a value standpoint, the difference between signed and unsigned pieces is minimal. So don't do it for that reason. The only increased value is of the personal kind.

 

I`d say if you have some fun with the autograph,and you actually meet the person and shake their hand,and get a personal signature or something.

But like sending them a letter,and getting an autographed photo kind of defeats the purpose for me at least

 

I'm looking forward to getting several at C3, I think $10 or even $20 is a small price to pay to meet the actor, even if they were in a rubber suit.

I think its worth it just for the experience: say hey, get a picture, get something signed.

Think of it this way, would you rather spend $10 to meet Greedo, or order a pizza?

 

already super-rare Attakus Boba Fett (only 1499 in existence, since I broke one and took it permanently out of circulation)

I wanted to cry when I saw that. How'd you manage to break an Attakus Boba?

 

In my oppinion - from an investment point of view - the bust will be worth less when signed than it is mint in sealed package.

The bust in itself is a limited version and as such it could increase in value. But altering the original state of either bust or box it takes away rather than ad to the value. This especially since Jeremy Bulloch's and Ray Park's autographs are in no way hard to come by.

Allthough they might increase a little in value if you have rock solid evidence to show that the exact bust was signed in hand by the man himself.

But with that said - I agree with the others. You know it is signed by Jeremy/Ray and they are valuable to you, that should be enough. So congratulation on having them, and try not to break them.

 

I agree. I know a baseball card is worth less if it has been autographed because most collectors want their cards-especially old cards- to be pristine.

That said, I think you'll look at your Boba on the shelf as something that now, in a way, has your own personal touch on it. It's more than an autographed statue. It will remind you of an experiance that was uniquely your own.

Like I've always said, collect because you enjoy it, not for the investment. I've got a lot of pieces I could make a tidy profit on, but they're a part of my life. Remind yourself that of all the Attikus statues of Boba Fett out there you've got one of the few thats autographed, and you had a nice conversation with Jeremy Bulloch. I pray you don't find yourself to the point where you have to sell it! It's a unique part of your life.

 

My question is, do you think an already super-rare Attakus Boba Fett (only 1499 in existence, since I broke one and took it permanently out of circulation) is worth any more if it's signed by Mr. Boba Fett himself Jeremy Bulloch? No


Or should I have just stayed home in bed that day? No

Like several others have said, I don't collect autographs necessarily for the signature, but more for the experience. The signature is more of a reminder of the experience. If you enjoyed your chat with Jeremy Bulloch, then it was likely worth it. It won't do much, if anything, for the value of your statue, but it is now a link to a personal experience you'll be able to share. Sadly, getting herded through a line like cattle is just part of the autograph scene sometimes. If you look at your Ray Park signed item and feel you got ripped for $20 because you really didn't get to speak to him, and the signature doesn't make you feel any better about the money spent, that'll be something to keep in mind for the next time. Sometimes $20 for a Michael Sheard autograph and a ten minute conversation is worth infinitely more than $20 for a Billy Dee Williams autograph and not even eye contact.

 

I enjoy writing to SW celebrities and getting their autographs. I usually purchase the bigger SW stars through reputable dealers, but write to the lesser known cast members.

So far I have nearly everyone from the PT and OT films, including behind the scenes people. My very first SW autograph was David Prowse, and my last so far was Hugh Quarshie.

 

Do the addresses listed here on TF.N actually work? I've thought of writing to some of the lesser stars because I hear they usually send an autogrpahed photo but I wasn't sure what the success rate was on that.

 

Success rates vary. A good resource for Star Wars autograph collecting is http://www.wattographs.com. They have a great address collection, and with a lot of the entries are reports of success/failure. Also lots of pictures!

 

The addresses work great. I suggest mailing trading cards and a SASE, or if you use an 8 by 10, always pay for the return postage, so it saves them time and money.

 

IMO, they're only as valuable/important as they are to you personally. I have paid both Peter Mayhew & Ray Park to autograph items, and they are worth that much to me.

Mayhew auto'd my OT Visual Dictionary (on the Chewbacca page, of course ), and Ray Park autographed an 8x10 I got from his table. I took my Star Wars Dark Side Sourcebook (The best item with Darth Maul I had), but decided on the 8x10s he had. In fact, here are image links for all to see:

Ray Park Auto'd 8x10: [image=http://img175.exs.cx/img175/8914/rayparkauto6zn.jpg]

Mayhew Auto'd OT Visual Dictionary: [image=http://img220.exs.cx/img220/2962/mayhewauto7bm.jpg]

 

I wanted to cry when I saw that. How'd you manage to break an Attakus Boba?

Well, actually it was the guy I bought it from - he didn't keep the original box, and packing, and so he just bubble-wrapped it and hoped for the best. It arrived at my house broken in several places. Luckily the Post Office insurance paid for the replacement, and the second one I got came snug in his original packing.

Like several others have said, I don't collect autographs necessarily for the signature, but more for the experience. The signature is more of a reminder of the experience. If you enjoyed your chat with Jeremy Bulloch, then it was likely worth it. It won't do much, if anything, for the value of your statue...

The chat with Jeremy was definitely the highlight. When he saw the Attakus Boba he said "That's a gorgeous piece! I have one myself." Then I asked him if Attakus gave him one and he said "No, I had to buy it myself" Man, Boba gets no respect!!

As to the value, I only have one anecdotal argument. Since I have a wholesale account with Attakus I sell some of their stuff on Ebay. A few months ago I had a brand-new Chewbacca statue that I couldn't sell, even $75 under MSRP. At the same time that my auction was failing, someone else offered up a Chewbacca with an autographed Attakus flier signed by Peter Mayhew. I watched while mine failed to sell at $425, and his went for $650. In another auction, I saw a Gentle Giant Boba Fett signed by Jeremy Bulloch go for about the same price as an unsigned one. This is of course why I started the thread, because I was curious how other fans valued a "signed" item.

In case you are interested here are a few pics of my Maul/Attakus shrine:

[image=http://miteethor.dyndns.org/collection/web1.jpg]
[image=http://miteethor.dyndns.org/collection/web2.jpg]
[image=http://miteethor.dyndns.org/collection/web3.jpg]
[image=http://miteethor.dyndns.org/collection/web4.jpg]

 

Nice pics! I met Jeremy last year at Memorabilia and got an autographed copy of his book and an autographed pic. He is a nice guy. I had a few minutes to chat with him as well.

 

I think they are great for the memories. When I look at my C2 autograph of Carrie Fisher, I think about the great time my wife and I had in Indy

 

I like having autographed items, but I absoutely refuse to pay for an autograph.

 

hey if you dont want to go to the convention and get a signature just do what a former mod does.

he lives in the same neighborhood as Temura Morrison in NZ.

So he sees the guy once a week at the supermarket.

Who wouldnt want to buy an autographed piece of fruit from Temura Morrison or box of bran flakes.


Actually he hasnt gone up to him like a crazy fan to get autographs. he just sees him and goes on about his business.