In this section I like to share real-life stories about collectors and their passion… collecting footy cards.
This issue is no different. This next story is actually a copy of an email exchange I had with a customer of ours who I respect and admire for the way he collects his cards. I won’t name him — but he knows who he is. 
I received a question from this customer about getting signatures on valuable insert cards… and in this particular story we were talking about the Legend Die Cut cards from the 2006 NRL Invincible Series.
His question was:
Does it devalue an expensive insert card IF I had it signed by the player featured on the card?
This type of question is one that we receive fairly often here at Footy Stars… and I wish there was a definitive answer — but there isn’t!
It really comes down to your individual preference.
Some people believe it increases the value of the card, while others believe it decreases it.
My personal view is that it INCREASES its value!
My view is based on the fact that card values are determined primarily by scarcity and demand. If you can increase either the scarcity of a card OR the demand for a card, the value of that card will increase.
If you’re lucky sometimes you can increase BOTH and watch as the value soars!
In this case scarcity is the factor that will determine the value.
Now, I haven’t seen a signed Legend Die Cut (LDC) — so we don’t know exactly what it COULD be worth, instead let’s look at the basics first.
Each LDC is limited to 175 cards. That makes it relatively scarce to begin with. Only the 4 Redemption Signatures are more scarce in the 2006 Invincible Series with a release of 120 each.
The LDC’s have been selling for between $30 and $80 with most of ours selling for around $60. Demand is pretty constant with each card attracting enough interest to set the price at about $60.
IF you managed to get the card signed by the player featured, your signed card would be 1 of possibly only a handful of signed LDC’s by that player.
How many other signed LDC’s is something we would never know (and the player featured isn’t likely to be counting for us) but that’s irrelevant for the moment.
Let’s say that 50 other people got him to sign their LDC. It’s highly unlikely that 50 people could all get him to sign it, but let’s look at that number anyway.
That would mean your card is now 1 of only 50 signed LDC’s. Your card is now even MORE scarce than before!
Following my logic about scarcity and demand being the determinants for value… you have just increased the scarcity of the card and thus increased the VALUE of that card.
We all know that 50 people couldn’t get his signature on the card if they tried. My guess is that it’s likely to be much closer to 10 at the absolute most! Making your card even more scarce again!
And so it continues… the more scarce your card, the greater it’s value is likely to be.
Having said all this, long time subscribers know my philosophy about the value of the signature cards you collect.
They are only worth what someone else is prepared to pay for them and that means letting them go to someone else. In many cases the memory of GETTING the signature is more valuable than the card itself.
What do you think? Add your comments below…
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