HOT TAKE WARNING
I have never and will never buy a signed card. If I don’t get the autograph myself, with personalization toward me, then it’s worthless to me.
When it comes to personalized signatures, I think they’re priceless. If an artist signs a card “To: JoshsOddCollection” and draws an Oddish on it, that card is immediately one of the most valuable cards in my collection. Not because of monetary value, but because it has personal value to me. That card is now almost worthless to any other collector in the world, because they can no longer relate to that card. Sure there may be the meta collectors that love the backstories behind personalized signature cards, and those after the truly coveted grail of Oddish with a signature designated to JoshsOddCollection, but those only raise value to very specific people and tank the value for most.
When the artist signs a card and puts nothing more than their name on it, it feels to me like they don’t care. The card has been altered with no personalization, no good backstory, and you gain nothing unique from looking at it when compared to every other signature that artist has ever done. That is a much different story when looking at personalized signatures, because no two cards will be the same, and they all tell a unique tale. If 300 people go to a card signing and every card has the exact same signature, what’s unique about it? If you and a friend go to a signing event and bring the same card, will you remember which card was signed for you and which card was signed for your friend?
I think the hobby would be better off if people transitioned to only collecting personalized signatures, and caring about the experiences to get there more than the money. If everyone only cares about getting signed by the biggest artist and then selling their card on ebay for st0nkz, then we’ve lost sight of what collecting is all about. One of the greatest things about collecting is that no two people collect the exact same things, and there’s a huge thrill of the hunt. It’s all about the journey and the stories behind them. If you’ve got a million dollars and buy every artist signature you ever wanted in a PSA 10 within a week, did you have fun? What stories do you have to tell about your collection? Was it worth all that money? Compare that to the kid with a $3 Oddish card who flew to Japan to get a personalized signature from his favorite artist. Who’s happier at the end of the day?