Image is everything
All I wanted was a licensed Dominque Wilkens on-card auto of him dunking. The Human Highlight Reel has been signing consistently for years so I figured it would be no problem. Wrong. Go check eBay. I’ll wait. Unless something crazy has changed, you might have seen one amongst your first page of search results. For some goofy reason the card companies have provided collectors with copious amounts of autos of Wilkens about to shoot a free throw or just standing there, but he is seldom shown in action.
It's not just Wilkens. I started collecting an autograph card of each player I really liked a couple of years ago with the caveat it had to have an awesome photo or design. I began to notice an odd dichotomy in the sports autograph market that has driven me batty for quite some time. Take a look at autographed 8 x 10s and 90% have awesome action shots. Now take a look at autographed cards and 90% have the player just standing there or if it is an action shot, use the most boring image possible.
8 x10s go out of their way to choose compelling photos and cards gravitate towards boring photos in a misguided effort to highlight the autos. It’s a topic that has long bothered me so I hope you’ll humor a little complaining this week.
Why?
Why do the card companies opt for boring images on their autographed cards? As mentioned above, the main reason I feel is to keep the focus on the autograph. I can see this argument if we are talking about a gorgeous signature like Griffey Jr.’s, but with the exclusion of cursive from most curriculums now, most autos could use a bit of distraction. It’s time to change this thinking.
Boring card photos are also a function of laziness and complacency. It’s hard to find great action photos that fit into card designs and their autograph windows. It’s a relatively simple task to cut and paste one of a dude just standing there. A little effort goes a long way.
Finally, sometimes portraits are nice. Not every card needs to be action-packed and portrait cards are a staple of the hobby and should be. My point is that with autos, they are dominating the landscape and are also fairly mediocre in their execution. A Griffey portrait showing off his trademark smile is great. A hastily chosen shot of McGwire standing awkwardly makes one wish for something better.
It Matters
The market is full of autographed cards of most modern players. Fanatics and Panini use serial numbering, parallels, foil, and all sorts of bells and whistles to make them stand out, but they rarely use good action photos.
This is a mistake, as it is the one change that appeals to collectors across the board. Serial numbering doesn’t move the needle for every collector and while a good chunk of the collectorate likes to chase rainbows, multi-colored parallels aren’t for everyone either. Great photos are for everyone though. This is a change that can positively affect all collectors.
The crazy thing is Topps makes some gorgeous autographed cards with great photos that are sought after. Stadium Club might have an autograph checklist filled with middle relievers and 30-year-old rookies, but darn it, they are pretty.
Collectors respond well to photos that are compelling and offer novelty. Bartolo Colon autos tend to run between $15 and $20, but his Finest Moments auto with a great photo of him hitting a home run is hard to find under $40. Stadium Club autos command a premium over autos from similarly priced products.
Cards with great photos can become must-haves for player collectors. Freddie Freeman’s 2023 Topps Gilded auto features a stunning photo capturing his best World Series win with the scrappy Braves and commands prices reserved for 1/1 or super low-numbered Freeman autos.
If you look at the highest-priced autos for a player and exclude rookies, game-used, and cards with a print run of 10 or less, and chances are the top sellers all have amazing photos or a killer design. They’ll be the cards that look amazing.
Wrap Up
With that in mind, I’m hoping card companies will start to reevaluate what makes a sharp autograph card design. Topps, in particular, seems to be paying more attention to design recently so I’m hopeful that more must-have autos are in the future.