Shopping for the sports fan

I was just trying to find a gift for James, who's a big fan of the 49ers. It's pretty tough because I'm not really into football, and I don't really know what to get him (on a budget too!). There's a few ideas I've had, from buying him something autographed, to buying a jersey... there's just too many options!

I'm kind of thinking of getting him something from this new sports memorabilia shop, called Memothentic. Particularly the: Wendell Tyler Series I 49ers Memothentic "THE FIRST RING". It's all about how Tyler was able to get his first Super Bowl ring, and I know James would love it... I wonder how much these things cost?

Anyway, why I'm so entranced with this as a present is that it not only combines the usual sports memorabilia (autograph, picture of the athlete, and jersey framed), but they also get the athlete to hand write (!!!) something that they remember about the particular photo. It makes it a really great personalized gift!

I couldn't find much info on where these items are sold... oh, now I did. They're sold at NFL Shop... and from the looks of the prices, it's a bit too much out of my price range. But hey, maybe I can save up for Christmas!

Interesting autograph tips

Taki recently lent me her latest copy of Autograph Collector magazine. There's some good articles in this month's issue. 'In the trenches' mentions some good tips to novice autograph hunters that I'd never though about before. Like not taking more than a couple of items for someone to sign, because otherwise the person might think that you are only there to sell the items later on ebay (and we all know how my experience with ebay turned out!).

The article, 'Greetings from Ohio' suggests that having a unique way of contacting a star may provide better results in getting autographs, like sending a camera with your request, or sending an item of clothing (this is such a good idea for stars like Jessica Simpson, who have their own labels).

And lastly, the article 'Off the Wall' gives us good reason to start autograph collecting when we're younger! A teacher in NY has been getting her students to write to stars and ask for autographs - getting them to be more sociable, teaching persistence and patience, and most importantly, getting them in touch with their heros! What an inspiration!



Actually, all of the articles in the mag suggest that autograph hunting is a matter of persistence. In which case, I may have to teach Taki a little of it :)

Yahoo! auctions due to close

After last week’s outrage on eBay, I thought it would be good to investigate other online auction sites, and see what else was out there. I still really like the idea of buying stuff online, especially as it always brings out fantastic items I would never find on my own. And would you believe it, I discovered Yahoo only too late. Apparently the Yahoo auction sites in America are closing; read more about it here. I guess eBay really does monopolize everything, as I’ve heard from friends that Yahoo is closing because they can’t compete with eBay.

Perhaps I can find another auction site...

Finally - a real autograph dealer

Today I went on a trip to find a reputable dealer in autographs. After the scandal of the eBay hunt, I thought it would be better to see the autographs in person. I had a nice stroll around the city, and met up with an autograph dealer at lunch. Very happy! Got a great present for Taki, with lots of physical proof that the autograph is real. I even got to watch a video of the signing! And the dealer was really helpful and nice... maybe we need webcam capability on eBay, so that we can have in-person discussions about the auction. Anyway, it was just good to be able to talk face to face with someone who was an expert on autographs. I showed them the Star Wars poster that I’d bought, and they said it was definitely a fake; he showed me a poster that was genuine, and boy, there was a huge difference in the signatures. The whole day made me remember that there really are good guys out there. Just not all of them are on eBay.

Real or fake - autographs on the web

I got so frustrated about that whole autograph thing that I had to go and do some research. How could I possibly buy Taki a real autograph, when I didn’t know how to find one.

Let me just say this:

I am shocked.

I can’t believe there are so many people selling fake autographs on eBay. I really had no idea about all this. Like many of my friends, we just sign up and bid, and I guess we get so caught up in the excitement of a ‘rare find’ that we don’t even think about whether or not it is real.
On my search, I discovered a group of people – maybe they sent me the email – from the UK. They’re like autograph spotters; they look out for shady sellers, help people identify fakes, advise on what to do if you bought a fake, etc. Though they’re in the UK, because so many of us buy from overseas sellers, they really are worth joining.

For autograph collectors – Taki, Bess, Lily, I know you’re reading! – you should go read these tips:

http://reviews.ebay.com/How-to-SPOT-an-ILLEGAL-SCRIPT-of-AUTOGRAPH-FORGERY_W0QQugidZ10000000000761445

http://pages.half.ebay.com/help/tns/ques_autograph.html

After all this, it really has made me think twice about bidding on eBay. The worst thing of all is that all this information was already out there, but I just didn’t know to look. It’s really a warning for other eBay bidders out there: if it looks too good to be true, it probably is!

eBay disaster!!!!!!

Oh my god!

Last night was a nightmare! You know how I was going to bid on a Star Wars poster? Well, I bid on one that was a fake!!!

I can’t believe it – I saw a really nice poster, with an autograph, up for sale on eBay. It was cheap, about $20. I’m not really into the whole autographs thing, so that to me sounded like a good price. I put in a bid, won the autograph (at which point I was pretty pleased with myself), only to have an email an hour later from someone informing me that the autograph was a fake! I can’t believe it!

I’d post a link to the autograph, but the auction’s been removed.

I’m so infuriated right now!

eBay hunt

I’ve been really getting into the posts from ‘The Fitful Flog’ lately. Philip doesn’t just make great origami, but he also photographs them in wonderful ways. His pentagonal compass rose box is such a very nice piece that I wish I could take it home with me (I think he might be offended if I just turned up and demanded he hand it over). Anyway, I just thought I’d give some ‘props’ to the guy, as I really enjoy reading all about his life and his origami in one hit!

This week I’ve been scouring eBay for a present for a friend. He’s really into film posters, and I thought I would get him a Star Wars poster that was autographed. I tell you what, eBay is just the best. Whatever you are looking for, it’s there. I’ve been able to buy all sorts of origami stuff, including some of my favorite origami books. I find it so amazing that so many people have so much to sell – it makes you think about how many things we throw out every day that someone else might have a use for.

Anyway, I think I’ll go and bid on something before it disappears!