Allen Lieu
A lot of Dodgers fans enjoy collecting baseball related memorabilia. This can include trading cards (Topps, Upper Deck, Panini cards, etc), pins, bobble heads, bats, helmets, jerseys, etc. The list can go on. One of my favorite things is to collect Rawlings Official Major League Baseballs with signatures from Dodgers players. If you want your autograph to last a long time, use an official major league baseball and a Bic Round Stic Ballpoint pen to make the perfect combo. Sharpies tend to bleed the autograph over time and there is a greater chance that the signature will smear. Sharpies are great for photos and cards.
There are various outlets that present itself throughout the year to get autographs. Every home game, Dodgers alumni signed in both the Left Field and Right Field Pavilion plazas. Players such as Sweet Lou Johnson, Al Ferrara, Tommy Davis, Ken Landreaux, Mickey Hatcher and many other Dodgers made appearances at Dodger Stadium throughout the year. If you have seats that are on the field level, mainly the Ketel One baseline club or Lexus Club, you may be able to score an autograph when the players are warming up. There is no guarantee that a player will sign. You may also find fellow Dodgers alumni strolling around in the Club Level. Stan Kasten was sitting in the club suite box next to mine for a good part of the game.
Other ways to obtain autographs: Attend fan fest events or Viva Los Dodgers. Last year Fan Fest attendees were able to buy pre-sale tickets to autograph lines. The autograph tickets were $10 per player/announcer. I was able to get Alex Guerrero’s autograph and the process was smooth. The players only sign for an hour so make sure you’re in line at least 15-20 minutes early before the signings commence. The lines were well organized with Dodgers staff and security facilitating the process.
There were different ticket times for season ticket holders and regular fans, so if you were hoping to score a Yasiel Puig ticket, you were out of luck by the time the public sale came in. This upcoming fan fest will probably have the same raffle system as last year and if you’re looking to score some awesome autographs, be sure to be on the lookout for that posted date to buy the autograph tickets. Another cool thing that the Dodgers had at the 2014 Fan Fest was the blind bag autograph booth. For $20 you could pick any bag, and it contained an authenticated autographed baseball. I received a Josh Beckett ball and an Adam Kennedy signed ball. If you paid more, I believe it was $40-50, you could receive an autographed jersey. By the end of the day, that bin was cleared out from all of the fans that purchased these grab bags.
If you’re unable to make the fan fest, or attend games at Dodger Stadium, there are multiple signings throughout the year. Dodgers players make appearances at Westfield malls throughout Southern California. They also make appearances at car dealerships, restaurants, and banks. Justin Turner, Nomar Garciaparra, Orel Hershiser and Fernando Valenzuela will be making appearances in the next couple of weeks for the Dodgers mall tour. Multiple companies, such as Honabach & Son’s, OC Dugout, Hall of Fame Sports, Harry’s Dugout, Kenny De Baca and others promote signings with players throughout the year.
Prices vary per player. Prices vary due the player’s signing cost, as well as the costs of the venue. Don’t expect the same price for a Yasiel Puig autograph versus a Mike Brito autograph. If you want to have your item authenticated, there are different companies that will do this for you. PSA/DNA, JSA, Steiner Sports and MLB are some of the few companies that can authenticate your item. PSA/DNA attends multiple shows throughout the year. You also have the opportunity to mail in your items but the turn around time is slow. I authenticated my Yasiel Puig, Steve Garvey and Alexander Guerrero at the San Diego Comic Con at the PSA/DNA booth. It took about three hours and all of my signatures passed. MLB authenticates on the spot, so you cannot submit your item to them.
Another way to obtain your autographs is eBay. Now this is the most riskiest way to obtain your autographs as there are countless forgeries on eBay. If you see a Yasiel Puig ball for $20 and his ball usually sells for $300, good chance it is a fake. If you’re going to buy a ball, check to see if the ball is authenticated by one of the companies and see if there is a picture that shows the player signing the ball.
When storing autographed balls, my collection stays in the UV Ball Cubes, away from sunlight.
Tell us about your collection, or if you have any tips, please feel free to share them!
