Value of signatures

I’ve heard it argued pretty successfully that Sugimori’s signature adds a 0 to the value of any card he signs. Example. If a card is worth 5k, his signature makes it worth 50k. Mostly because it’s so rare.
From the data pulled together, it seems like Arita’s signature pretty much doubles the value of any card he has signed. Does anyone have any experience with any other recent signature sales?

as someone with arita signatures, i am not sure that is true on higher-end cards, maybe on the lower end…

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So maybe a lower grade, non base set card would be doubled. And something like a charizard would not be?

Just fascinates me that he could potentially make someone else a millionaire with just a pen, maybe an hour and a couple of cards

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Either lower grades on higher-end cards, or lower-end cards in general

Sugimori signatures are entirely about provenance. As someone who has Sugimori autos with documented images before psa was grading anything pokemon, I am completely unmotivated to sell. Even if I struck gold and found an employee with a signature, proving that is a challenge.

Obtaining a legitimate Sugimori autograph is one of the biggest challenges in this hobby. Especially if you want one on a Valuable card. :sunglasses:

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Why the flex hahahaha +10

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I’d argue signatures are more additive than multiplicative. Sugimori might be an exception though

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There might be patterns but it’s probably not best to see card prices as mechanical. Some other things people like to say are things like “Blastoise is usually x% of Charizard” or “Shadowless is usually y% of 1st Edition”. There are always exceptions and the patterns work until they don’t. Probably best to evaluate things on an individual basis or take in more factors.

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All depends on the card and who’s signature it is (and perhaps whether it has been authenticated or not and the quality of the card).

Mitsuhiro Arita’s signature is very easy to find, so that one is indeed additive overall.
Sugimori is very hard to find, so that one is indeed multiplicative overall.

But again, if a 50 cent Common card gets signed by Mitsuhiro Arita, a 50-75 USD price isn’t too far-fetched, which would be a massive multiplicative. But if a 1st ed. Base Set Charizard gets graded by him, I wouldn’t expect it to double in price.

If I sign a rare card, it would only loose value. :wink:

Greetz,
Quuador

Expected the camerupt, was disappointed.

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signatures have never interested me but i know some ppl love them

imagine paying more for some old dude drawing on your card of a drawing

The vast majority of buyers neither want or care about signatures.

With signatures it’s kinda like with other niche items, like error cards, fpo cards, no rarity cards or cards graded in any other language than English or Japanese. The vast majority of collectors won’t care, but the few that do will pay good money for it.
One interesting thought crossed my mind: When there comes the day when the person who signed the card dies (either in the near future because of an accident or illness, or in a few decades because of old age) and Pokemon is still going strong by then, those signed cards will probably go up in value a lot, and I mean a lot.

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Its hard to put a blanket statement on the value on signatures. Not all signatures are created equal, even from the same artist.

Take Arita for instance.

We have seen a plain english signature. We have seen a plain kanji signature. We have seen a combo of the two. We have seen a combo of the two with a sketch. We have seen many different sketches. So the combination of those will have an affect of the desirability and value.

Now we have to evaluate the quality of the signature and/or sketch. Is the signature bold? What is the color of the ink? Is the location not blocking the artwork? Is the sketch simple or detailed? I have seen many charizard sketches and some aren’t as appealing as others.

Next we have to evaluate the card selection. Is it a vintage or modern card. Is the card valuable/desired without the signature? Is the artwork/card “iconic” to that artist? How is the condition of the card raw?

Another thing to consider is the future of artists wanting to sign in person. How will COVID change their eagerness to travel to signing events? Will the Pokemon company require artist to peronalize autographs forever? Just because the artist is alive doesnt mean they will be for long (sorry,morbid,i.e. Kobe).

While I do agree most collectors probably don’t care or think signatures add value, I would argue that if done right it absolute does. It is niche, but many things in Pokemon card collecting are.

In sports, vintage cards plus signatures can be highly desired. I won’t get into that right now but you routinely see premiums on signed rookie cards of the same PSA grade vs non signed.

I personally love some signatues if the eye appeal of the signature/sketch doesnt overpower the card. I own a signed 1st edition charizard with artia english script with a sketch. I view the card as the artist signing his piece of art.

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Im looking to get rid of mine, i like them but would rather have the normal card in a binder

Could anyone give me a rough estimate of what an average shigeki morimoto autograph would sell for? I have not seen one listed for sale anywhere but know he has done signings at events.

in a Mew item can have a good price because he is the createmor of Mew. 600usd range with a beautiful sketch for me. Without Mew sketch less.

This happened in MTG with Christopher Rush’s death increasing the value of the cards he signed. However, Rush illustrated a lot of really iconic early cards for MTG, so I am not sure how much this effect would carry over to an artist with a more modest or modern portfolio of illustrated cards.

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