IP autograph etiquette

[ooneil]

Hi all,

Im currently working on some magazines articles and as you can probably guess from the title im looking to do one on collecting IP autographs.

As we all know there is a right way and a wrong way (sig pigs) to go about it so im trying to put a bit of a guide together.

While I dont collect IP autos my view is its a great way for people who dont want to go out spending stupid amounts on cards (like me) to get into the hobby and put together a great set.

Any knowledge you can pass on would be appreciated.

Cheers, Owen

 

[batboy]

One thing I would suggest.. It's polite not getting the Sig. Pre Game...
The Staff and Players have thier mind on the Job at hand, And Probably don't need to
be bothered on the way in....
Just a small point?

 

[ooneil]

Any points a good point - would never have thought of it.

 

[Quicksilver]

Be polite and courteous if they look like they do not want to be bothered then don't. I get my 1:18 cars done at the v8's each year and generally attend the signings and if i miss anyone i'll hang around the pits and if i see them out walking i'll ask if they can do it but not try and press them. Have to try and get Skaifey this year that usually entails hanging around the media centre and whatever pits they are doing live crosses from.

-ALWAYS carry your own sharpie/marker as well as a backup
-Always have the item close at hand. Last thing you want to be doing is digging through a bag or folder while the person waits on you.

 

[Victor The Viking]

I agree with all of the above.

Another thing, if there are little kids around, I always let them go first.

 

[BLADE]

I will do a think on this and try to come up with an essay for you. LOL.

My 1st and foremost tip would be. Try to know the person you want the IP off. Especially if you are older than say 16 years old. If it is only 1 person you are getting an autograph off, do a little research, it will help to convince the person that you are a genuine fan. More importantly know what they look like. Nothing is more insulting than asking the person if they are who they are.

Please and Thank You go a long long way.

 

[Victor The Viking]

More importantly know what they look like. Nothing is more insulting than asking the person if they are who they are.

I've actually seen people ask players 'are you (insert name)?' before getting things signed. It looks awkward for both sides of that conversation

 

[AyiosYiorgos]

Shove the card in their face, give them 20 cards to sign and tell them your going to sell on eBay...
Been polite and waiting is the best, also keep it to a minimum of cards and not the same cards as they assume your a seller, at a game i was at an ex player refused to sign this guys cards he had about 10 of the same card, he only signed 2-3....

 

[wonga_5]

be polite, manners cost ya nothing.

Like said above, know who the person is and little about them

sometimes a bit of research about where they will be & the easiest place to meet them

Ive never had a problem with anyone signing stuff when i ask for it to be personalized

Also remember that sometimes unfortunately the people you want to meet will want nothing to do with you & avoid you

ive also noticed if you can contact people on twitter of facebook sometimes they give you a heads up on where they will be

thats all i got, i been collecting IP autos for years

 

[Victor The Viking]

Been polite and waiting is the best, also keep it to a minimum of cards and not the same cards as they assume your a seller, at a game i was at an ex player refused to sign this guys cards he had about 10 of the same card, he only signed 2-3....

A bit of a follow on to that, if a person only wants to sign one or two things don't whinge or harass them about it. Just be happy you got those. They don't have to sign anything in the first place.

 

[BLADE]

Whilst you may want to make the most of the opportunity of meeting a player, Never push your luck with a player that has a reputation of being hard to get a signature out of. In the NRL, the players who are like this will refuse you if you do. Blake Ferguson, Anthony Watmough, Corey Parker and Lote Tuqiri are players that imediatly come to mind. For me this year, I met Darren Lockyer on about 7 different occasions. I only ever gave him 4 cards maximum to sign for me and all those cards were different. 4 x 7 = 28. Its much easier than handing him 28 cards all at once and much more polite.

Never run at a player to get his autograph or yell out too them. Nothing pisses them off more. Quietly approach and be patient.

If there are kids waiting for autographs. Always let them go 1st. I let the player know that I want the kids to go 1st. (unless they are the kids from Coastsport. I will tell the player about them if they are from Coastsport)

I never have any less than 3 permanent markers. That way I can allow a player to use it if he needs too. If someone else rocks up with no marker and you offer them to use yours... You look like the good guy. In saying this... test your pens before you leave home to make sure they work so you are not the one borrowing.

Organise yourself. Don't leave a player hanging whilst you shuffle through a mess of cards. I have all of my players in individual card sleeves or card sized zip lock bags.

If a player is checking their new card out for the 1st time, and you have several of that particular card, In my case Tariq and Ashton Sims, Kalifa Fai Fai Loa and the Strike cards when they 1st came out... Give them one. They will love ya and they will happily sign your cards. Trust me.

 

[Matt26]

Whilst you may want to make the most of the opportunity of meeting a player, Never push your luck with a player that has a reputation of being hard to get a signature out of. In the NRL, the players who are like this will refuse you if you do. Blake Ferguson, Anthony Watmough, Corey Parker and Lote Tuqiri are players that imediatly come to mind. For me this year, I met Darren Lockyer on about 7 different occasions. I only ever gave him 4 cards maximum to sign for me and all those cards were different. 4 x 7 = 28. Its much easier than handing him 28 cards all at once and much more polite.

Never run at a player to get his autograph or yell out too them. Nothing pisses them off more. Quietly approach and be patient.

If there are kids waiting for autographs. Always let them go 1st. I let the player know that I want the kids to go 1st. (unless they are the kids from Coastsport. I will tell the player about them if they are from Coastsport)

I never have any less than 3 permanent markers. That way I can allow a player to use it if he needs too. If someone else rocks up with no marker and you offer them to use yours... You look like the good guy. In saying this... test your pens before you leave home to make sure they work so you are not the one borrowing.

Organise yourself. Don't leave a player hanging whilst you shuffle through a mess of cards. I have all of my players in individual card sleeves or card sized zip lock bags.

If a player is checking their new card out for the 1st time, and you have several of that particular card, In my case Tariq and Ashton Sims, Kalifa Fai Fai Loa and the Strike cards when they 1st came out... Give them one. They will love ya and they will happily sign your cards. Trust me.

All very good comments.

Common courtesy is one of the big things i have seen lacking with people getting in person autos. I would always say 'Excuse me (Players Name) would you mind signing my (card/photo etc) for me? After you are finished, thank them!

It's really that simple. If they say no, be polite and say no problems, thanks anyway!

Also just take into account the environment you are in. If a player is with family and friends, just be that much more courteous towards them. If they are half drunk, probably best to leave them alone!

Cheers
Matt

 

[AyiosYiorgos]

Reminds me when Tony Caine played for the Dragons, went to training to watch and get auto's, approached him to get his auto on card he nearly flipped out, that he had a card, had a spare and gave it to him, asked where he could get some, told him how many he wanted, told him i would bring him some next week, which i did, we sat and talked for about 10 or so minutes, told me to bring a jersey or cards next week and he would get it signed for me...

.If a player is checking their new card out for the 1st time, and you have several of that particular card, In my case Tariq and Ashton Sims, Kalifa Fai Fai Loa and the Strike cards when they 1st came out... Give them one. They will love ya and they will happily sign your cards. Trust me.

 

[wonga_5]

i got Nathan jawai to sign 1 of his nba cards & he was shocked to see he was on it.

another good thing bout IP autos are some of the stories you can tell about meeting certain people

 

[Joe]

Starting in 2000 i started obtaining Autographs by V8 supercar drivers in person and everything that is said here is so true. 2 things stick out in mind. One was when i approached the late Barry Sheene when he was working for channel 10. I did ask him if he could sign my program but then i asked him about if he watched England play the night before in the 2002 football world cup. The reply i got was "oh mate i %$^# fell asleep". I laughed and we had a chat for a few minutes about football which im a keen fan. I asked to get a picture with him he was more than happy and Greg rust or rusty actually volunteered to take the photo. It was an awesome experience and i realized i didnt end up getting the autograph but that didnt bother me one bit. Sadly 6 months later Barry Sheene died but i feel so lucky that i got to meet him and hear him swear and the picture i got with him is awesome ill post it on here.

The other story involved John Bowe at the summernats. I heard that he was making an appearance for rare spares and i got some photos ready and got him to sign them. I asked him about a certain bathurst incident which isnt talked about much and we got talking about all sorts of stuff. This went on for a good 15 minutes (lucky there there were no ppl waiting to get sigs). He asked what my name was we shook hands and i let him be. Went i got home i could not find the photos anywhere so thinking i lost them i had to get whatever ones i had left and hope he was there the next day. On Sunday when i was in the pavilion where he was meant to be i heard someone call out my name. It was John Bowe. He said Joe you forgot something yesterday i was hoping you would be back. I was so relieved and happy he would not only remember my name but make sure i got my photos back. I thanked him 10o times and said i really appreciate it and apologized if i caused him any inconvenience. He was cool about it and i got my pic with him. He really made my day and i didnt dare ask him to sign these new ones cause i think he did more than enough for me.

It goes to show if you are nice to ppl and show that you really are a fan they will give you time of day if they can afford to. Sorry if this post is boring i know its long but i wanted to share these great experiences with you all

Heres the pic of me and Barry Sheene

 

[batboy]

Funnily enough... Similar storey about Tonys brother Joel (Tigers Clubman) (Pretty sure they're brothers??) Never met him until last year... So i had swags of his stuff from the old days. I would get him to sign it for me in bits and peices. One day he asked me, Where I got them all from... I asked why? do you want some? He said if you have any spare, So a couple weeks later I got together 2 of every card he had ever released through Select and the Tele Including 2 Honour Role (Which I had to buy for him) and gave them to him in a case when I next saw him. He was chuffed!! Now he always comes over out of his way to say Hi, Shakes hands and more than happy to sign anything for me or my mates!!
But you guys are right.... Patience, Honesty and a little manners will go a LONG way with most guys....... Well most guys except Lote!!
2 years at the club, $1000 / Year membership, Travel more than 500k's round trip to every game (Barr the Canberra game) And he has never signed a card for me!!
But I can buy them on ebay???

Reminds me when Tony Caine played for the Dragons, went to training to watch and get auto's, approached him to get his auto on card he nearly flipped out, that he had a card, had a spare and gave it to him, asked where he could get some, told him how many he wanted, told him i would bring him some next week, which i did, we sat and talked for about 10 or so minutes, told me to bring a jersey or cards next week and he would get it signed for me...

 

[BLADE]

Starting in 2000 i started obtaining Autographs by V8 supercar drivers in person and everything that is said here is so true. 2 things stick out in mind. One was when i approached the late Barry Sheene when he was working for channel 10. I did ask him if he could sign my program but then i asked him about if he watched England play the night before in the 2002 football world cup. The reply i got was "oh mate i %$^# fell asleep". I laughed and we had a chat for a few minutes about football which im a keen fan. I asked to get a picture with him he was more than happy and Greg rust or rusty actually volunteered to take the photo. It was an awesome experience and i realized i didnt end up getting the autograph but that didnt bother me one bit. Sadly 6 months later Barry Sheene died but i feel so lucky that i got to meet him and hear him swear and the picture i got with him is awesome ill post it on here.

The other story involved John Bowe at the summernats. I heard that he was making an appearance for rare spares and i got some photos ready and got him to sign them. I asked him about a certain bathurst incident which isnt talked about much and we got talking about all sorts of stuff. This went on for a good 15 minutes (lucky there there were no ppl waiting to get sigs). He asked what my name was we shook hands and i let him be. Went i got home i could not find the photos anywhere so thinking i lost them i had to get whatever ones i had left and hope he was there the next day. On Sunday when i was in the pavilion where he was meant to be i heard someone call out my name. It was John Bowe. He said Joe you forgot something yesterday i was hoping you would be back. I was so relieved and happy he would not only remember my name but make sure i got my photos back. I thanked him 10o times and said i really appreciate it and apologized if i caused him any inconvenience. He was cool about it and i got my pic with him. He really made my day and i didnt dare ask him to sign these new ones cause i think he did more than enough for me.

It goes to show if you are nice to ppl and show that you really are a fan they will give you time of day if they can afford to. Sorry if this post is boring i know its long but i wanted to share these great experiences with you all

Heres the pic of me and Barry Sheene

I met Barry shortly before he died and funnily enough he was swearing like a trooper when I met him. He actually lived in the same suburb as me when he passed away. He was a real down to earth larikin. His family still live in the house.

I can not say enough nice words about John Bowe. He and my kids had a running joke where he would put a small dot on the end of their nose with the marker pen because 1 time when he was signing an photo for them he put a dot on his nose in the photo. Everytime he would see us he would talk for ages just like we were old mate. He gave my kids his Team BOC cap in his final year and posted me his helmet visor from his final race, all signed up. He is a genuinely nice guy.

Great story Joe. I love reading stories about celebrities that back up my personal experiences with the same celeb.

 

[mischap123]

All great tips guys. Manners are a must. Be organised with markers and do your homework if not familiar with the players already. Don't push if players have been mobbed and use courtesy with regard to the kids/disabled. I usually only give 2 different cards aswell.

 

[BLADE]

One other thing that I haven't mentioned is, Autograph collecting is a lottery. Be prepared to wait along time for a signature. Especially when you are getting something signed by a number of people like a jersey. More importantly be prepared to miss out. Just because you have waited an hour for someones signature, it doesn't mean you will always get it. If you want the signature bad enough, doing your homework counts when you have to revert to plan B.

 

[Brplat]

Definitely use your manners, don't ask them to sign tonnes of things. Personally ive never been refused an autograph from any panthers players - i guess it helps when im wearing a panthers jersey and my membership card is hanging around my neck. Plus im in QLD, so the players themselves are thrilled to see so many fans in QLD lol. Nicest one out for me would be Kevin Kingston - he is always smiling, getting photos with people, and signing autographs. After they beat the titans earlier this year, i congratulated him on the win - and he just smiled and thanked me for coming out to watch the game, he then signed my cards, and even offered to sign my pink jersey (that i had over my arm as i had missed afew signatures from the signing day in Penrith). i had to explain to him he had already signed it on a previous occasion, but thanked him for offering. Afew of the other players offered to sign it for me too on that night, but i already had everyone minus Luke Lewis. Found it to be a nice gesture though.