There are two kinds of autographed sports cards. The first kind are cards that were signed by players at ball parks, card shows, etc. Often, these cards will show signs of wear on the corners and/or small creases from handling. These cards will probably not have certificates of authenticity because the signatures were acquired in person by collectors or fans.

The second type of autographed card is the kind that was randomly "inserted" by card companies into packs. These cards have been eagerly sought by card and autograph collectors alike, because the signatures on the cards are virtually guaranteed to be the real thing (a few examples of autopen and girlfriend signatures are known to exist.) Most of these cards say right on the front or back of the card itself that it is an "authentic signature."

As a general rule, autographed cards pulled from packs carry a value greater than cards that were autographed in person. The reason is because autographed insert cards were produced in limited quantities and won't be duplicated in the future, whereas living atheletes can continue to sign thousands of "regular" cards as fast as they can write. Also keep in mind the pack-issued signatures usually have greater provenance to ensure the signatures are real.

In 1990 Upper Deck became the first company to include autographs in a nationally distributed card product. The company inserted 2,500 signed Reggie Jackson cards into packs of their high-series baseball boxes. Autographed cards appeared in several products from various card companies the very next year, and have been a staple of insert sets to this very day.

As a signature collector, you will need to educate yourself on how to spot fake autographs. There are several informative websites and books on the subject, but common sense is also a big part of collecting. Third-party autograph authentication services will certify and "slab" your signed cards for just a few dollars each. While the signatures of superstars like Mickey Mantle and Joe Namath are often forged, authentic lesser-known player autographs are fairly easy to find.

For those desiring an extra and rewarding challenge, collecting "multi-signed" cards should prove to be a very interesting venture. These types of cards - picturing more than one subject - usually show coaches, young prospects, all-star players, league leaders, or groups of teammates with a common theme. The young prospect, all-star and league leader cards are the most difficult of the multi-signed cards to complete (many of these prospects see little or no major league action, while the star players are usually harder to obtain in general).

FYI: As a general rule, "signed-in-person" cards tend to cost a great deal less than signed 8x10 photos.