Signed PSA Case or Signed Card?

General
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I was wondering is it worth it to crack two expensive cards (over $5k combined) to get them autographed. I hate to take the chance and actually damage the cards (cracked a cheap card once, damaged the back) and I take the risk of getting them both downgraded when I would regrade them (both PSA 9). I can just get the PSA cases signed but would the cards be worth much more with the autograph on the case than without it. I’m getting both cards signed either way but what direction is better to take, signed PSA case or signed card?

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Just get the case signed and get some pics with the artist and cards to help further authenticate it. I always go under the idea that you should be getting your collectibles signed to add sentimental value rather than monetary value though.

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Part of it is sentimental value, but I always have that “what if” question if I ever need to sell. Getting just the cases signed is probably what I’ll end up doing though. Also I should note that I won’t be the one actually getting them autographed since I’ll be in recovering from a procedure (can’t be in the sun).

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If you have the autograph on the PSA case, a picture during signing with the serial number visible would be a great way to have an authentication without the struggles of cracking/re-casing.

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Ethanol should remove sharpie from a case EZ

But personally, I would just not have my 4 figure cards signed at all. The fact that you’re worried the signature could affect the resale value is a symptom of why.

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I would NEVER sign straight on a card. On the case is fine im

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The permanent marker will ware/fade faster on plastic I believe. I say sign the card or not at all. My take, when you get into cards in the 4-5 figures, a signature really wont add any value. If it has sentimental value, sure go for it, but if your looking to increase value, stay away.

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Not worth cracking the case incase of damage. Course signed card is better but, get the case signed as a second. You could always get the signer to use a diamond tipped pen to scratch in the autograph?

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I have a two questions. Why do on card autographs make a 4 figure card less desirable? Why do cards that range between $100-$900 increase in value with a on card autograph?

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Sign the case. You can always wipe it off.
As far as getting cards signed…only get cheaper ones signed.

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My position is not that a thousand dollar card will decrease in desirability with an auto. Here are some of my thoughts that motivated my original post:

  1. A $1000 card can stand on it’s own merits. It doesn’t need an auto to become desirable, it already is. If this is an Arita auto, in my opinion it kind of takes away from the card itself especially since Arita’s sig is so common and saturated at this point.
  2. Signature value is more additive than multiplicative in my experience. You can get a $1 card signed by someone and make it a $200 card. Usually a $200 card signed by the same person would make it $400 rather than a $4000 card (x200). As the value of the raw card gets higher, the autograph ‘premium’ becomes more trivial. Does it make sense to put a $200 signature on a $5000 card?
  3. Expensive cards generally have a smaller buyer pool. Autos have a small buyer pool. The intersection of these two is probably extremely small. It would be tough to find a buyer if you ever want to sell, especially if you’re seeking a premium price.

But it’s not all about the value of the signature. For me, if I was getting an auto from someone I respect, I wouldn’t want to sell it. Putting it on a valuable card means I wouldn’t be able to sell that card without losing the signature in the process. I’d much rather get a signature on a card I really like and resonate with than picking based on value. And my own personal feelings on the matter, I just much rather have the card inked than a slab. It feels more organic and genuine.
But yeah, that is some ramblings on the topic. I think in the end it’s mostly a personal choice and really depends on your motivation for getting the card signed.

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I love autographs, but I personally wouldn’t recommend getting a $1k+ card signed, especially by an artist like Mitsuhiro Arita, who is known for doing many signings, which heavily decreases the value of his autograph outside of personal/ sentimental value.

However, because artists like Ken Sugimori are much harder to obtain and higher in demand, there might be a greater market interested in his autograph, and especially so on something like his 1st Ed. Blastoise. Ultimately though I would say that this market is still pretty fringe and subject to change at any time, such as if the Pokemon Company releases information on a potential signing which will decrease the demand because people can then obtain the autographs themselves.

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