WHAT TO GET SIGNED BY A FOOTBALL PLAYER AT AN AUTOGRAPH SIGNING 101!

I take it that you have come here because you are going to meet a football player at a public appearance or autograph signing. In this post we will go over the best options for you when it comes to what item you should get signed for your man cave and hopefully by the end of this you will be able to choose what works best for you! 

STEP 1: IT'S ALL ABOUT THE PEN!

We highly advise that on any item you decide to get signed you take in to consideration the type of pen/marker that you use for the autograph. We recommend using paint pens instead of using your standard sharpie marker for the reason that the paint pens last much longer for the future and do not fade compared to the quick fading of a normal sharpie. You also need to take in consideration the type of point you are using with the pen. We always try to use a medium size point on the pen, but in some cases you do need to go with a smaller point depending if the item that is getting signed is a smaller item like a card. Lastly, you need to think of what type of color pen you would like the athlete to sign in. We recommend going with the color that matches the team the athlete players for or the same color as the jersey; you can also stay generic and go with black, silver or gold. At the end of the day it all comes down to your preference.

People have emailed us asking more specifically about great pens to use, so we figured we would post this information here! The brand of pen we use the most is Decocolor Paint Marker, and we use the Fine Tip more than anything like on jerseys, helmets, gloves, hats, or photos. We buy our Deco pens from Dick Blick as they usually have great pricing and have a huge assortment of color options and additional Pen Tips like Broad Tip and Extra Fine Tip. On bigger items like a football or other large equipment we recommend using broad tip pens. Extra fine tips are great on items that have a small area for an autograph like a ticket stub or football trading card. We like Deco pens because they have a strong rich appearance on the items they are used on as well as they don't usually fade/bleed into items. Deco paint holds up long term which is very important, and they seem to also be a favorite choice for autograph collectors in the memorabilia industry. Here are some links of the actual pens buy from them:

STEP 2: WHAT ITEM TO PURCHASE TO GET SIGNED?

There are many options when it comes to what item you would like to get signed by the football player and there are a lot of things to take into consideration when making your decision. The top items that we recommend to consider are helmets, mini helmets, footballs, jerseys, photos and game used equipment. All items can be displayed differently and have different values to them when they are signed.

HELMETS

The difference between cost and value of a signed helmet and mini helmet are night and day, so you may want to take into consideration if you are looking to sell the item or display it in your man cave. Collectors prefer full size helmets compared to mini helmets as they are better looking in a display and the value of them is far more significant than a mini helmet. At the same time if you want to display many helmets in your man cave it may be better to get a mini helmet signed as you can display more depending on the amount of space you have available to display your memorabilia. There are different full sized helmets that are available that include replicas and authentic helmets, there are a number of different authentic versions in the marketplace and the authentic versions are normally the ones the players would wear on the field on game day. Replica on the other hand is basically the same as an authentic helmet, but it does not have the actual padding inside the helmet that players would need for game day. The price difference between the two can be hundreds of dollars, but we recommend just going with a replica helmet as it is not like you are going to wear this helmet after it gets signed.

FOOTBALLS

When it comes to footballs there are two different types of footballs you can buy to get signed. There are on the field footballs that you can get signed or you can get a replica football. The replica footballs are significantly cheaper than the on field footballs, but are not worth as much when it comes to resell value. A replica football may cost you anywhere from $20-$40 at the store, but a on field ball will probably cost anywhere from $100-$150. Collectors prefer the on field balls as the value of them is much more than a replica ball. 

JERSEYS

When it comes to jerseys you can purchase a replica jersey or an on the field jersey. The replica jerseys are much cheaper than the on the field jerseys and most collectors don't seem to mind which is signed. The reasoning for this is that most replica and on field jerseys look very similar and replica jerseys are much cheaper than on field jerseys and collectors don't pay much more for the on field jerseys. The replica jerseys are not completely sewn in on the numbers, logos and name they are ironed on compared to a on the field jersey which is all sewn in. 

PHOTOS

Photos are cool because you can tailor which photo you want to get signed and how large of a photo you would like to get signed depending on the amount of space you have to display in your memorabilia collection. The other thing that is nice about photos is that you can get them custom framed and designed exactly how you would like to fit your collection perfectly. If you are looking for a custom framer for your memorabilia Inscriptagraphs memorabilia does all our own custom framing! Click here to check out what we can do for you when it comes to custom framing!

GAME USED EQUIPMENT

Game used equipment while being some of the most unique items that you can get signed will likely be your most expensive option when it comes to what item you would like to get signed. The value of game used equipment compared to a normal signed item is substantially more, but also will cost more up front when purchasing the game used equipment. We have an amazing selection of game used equipment available from nearly any sport. Contact us today to inquire about purchasing game used equipment to get signed at your autograph signing.

STEP 3: CLOSING

At the end of the day it's your preference on what item you would like to get signed as well as where and what type of pen you would like it signed with. The most important thing to keep in mind is what you want to display and what your budget is when purchasing the item. Also remember that prices differ in each item at signing and usually the higher value the item will be when signed, the more it will cost to have that item signed. We also recommend purchasing your item in advanced compared to purchasing it at the signing as the company doing the signing will try to cover costs and make profits on the items that they are selling to have signed, it will be much cheaper to bring your own items (if an autograph fee applies). 

If you have an item you believe is valuable and you are looking to sell your item make sure you contact us today!! Click on our SELL YOUR MEMORABILIA page. If you have questions regarding framing give Inscriptagraphs Memorabilia a call at 1-844-474-4633 or by email, info@inscriptagraphs.com so we can give you assistance on the best way to display your item, we are than happy to help!

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