Win This Reggie Jackson Autograph from Autograph University

UPDATE: Thanks to everyone who participated in our giveaway! I really enjoyed reading your submissions and this collection of comments is a great resource for collectors. We’ve emailed our randomly selected winner.

October may be my favorite month. Warm days give way to crisp, cozy nights. Leaves of red, yellow and orange crunch underfoot. Pumpkin beers and football tailgates. Soccer in full stride around the world while hockey and hoops seasons begin anew. My wedding anniversary. Halloween.

Reggie Jackson autographed book

And playoff baseball.

When you think of October baseball one man comes to mind—Reggie Jackson. Though he isn’t known to be the friendliest of figures, one cannot deny he was a legend on the diamond. He has a new book out—aptly titled “Mr. October”—and I’m giving away my autographed copy to one lucky Autograph University reader.

All you need to do for a chance to win is leave a comment and tell me one thing you wish you knew when you started collecting autographs.

I will randomly choose a winner on Saturday, October 26 at 9pm EDT. One comment per person and please use a valid email address so I can contact you if you win.

Thanks for participating and good luck!

Matt Raymond

is the founder of Autograph University. He lives in the Boston area with his wife and two sons. Connect with him on Twitter at @mattraymond.

71 Responses

  1. Todd Galbraith says:

    I wish I had the ability to have the knowledge of which players would be future Hall of Famers… but don’t we all. I think of all of the greats I had gotten as a young kid on pieces of paper that are long lost now and wish I had the foresight at that age to get the greats of the 70’s on baseballs or pucks. But, that is not something any of us are blessed with. We can only live in the moment and hope our favorite players are as great as we think they will be. I also wish I had continued later on in life but as my family continued to grow the free time was limited. But, what a great hobby!

  2. Chris says:

    I wish I knew sports athletes, especially baseball, were getting more and more difficult to get through the mail.
    On a side note I did get Reggie in the Tampa airport terminal at a magazine stand. Didn’t look that pleased that I approached him while he was “undercover” in an overcoat and hat but he did shake my hand and signed my boarding pass…

  3. Fahz says:

    I wish I knew this hobby could turn me into a hoarder!

  4. John Desmarais says:

    I’ve been collecting autographs for over 40 years. Wish I had taken more pics of me with all the athletes. Back then, most athletes were very approachable and enjoyed talking with you. Ie: Cousy, Dr J. Chamberlain, West, Havliceck etc..Their autograph was also more legible 🙂 Wish I had taken more pics!

    John

  5. jason may says:

    i wished i would have not stopped ttm.i was big into it in the 80s and got a good amount of hofs. now they charge . just wish i would have sent to mickey mantle.

  6. Maggie says:

    The biggest thing I wish I knew, though there are certainly quite a few other possibilities, was that just because you are using a baseball and a pen that is supposedly permanent, that the autograph won’t necessary stay in good condition over the years. I didn’t realize until someone that I met through collecting in college informed me that the leather on the baseball is key and that while you may be saving $ at first going for the cheaper balls, you won’t be getting an autograph that lasts like you would on an OMLB ball. I’m big into collecting baseball autographs and have a few guys I wish I had on OMLB balls. I also liked the way sharpies looked at first and thought they would work better before I was informed about how they fade over time, especially the black ones. Now I always carry multiple blue ball point pens in my bag and always have an extra OMLB ball just in case someone unexpected shows up. I am lucky in that most of the guys I got on non OMLB balls are guys that I have been able to get again since then and the others are guys that never made it far in MLB.

  7. Cayden says:

    I wish I knew how addicting the hobby would become! I also wish I would have knew that the personality of a celebrity or athlete I see on TV is not always what you encounter in person.

  8. AV says:

    Old school athletes have awesome autographs… Modern athletes give you their initials and jersey number.

  9. Ronald Robinson says:

    Wish I knew authenticity and who authenticates was so important in adding my collection to my home insurance.

  10. Jason Makai says:

    I wish I had taken more pictures with the athletes and persons of note that I had gotten autographs from. Looking back, the autographs are nice, but the photos make it a more vivid memory and even more personal.

  11. Kyle says:

    Wish I would have known that collecting autos was like a bad drug addiction. Never tried drugs, but I’m addicted to autos…

    I love working on “projects” or collecting certain types of autos and building my collection!

  12. Charlie Lovell says:

    I wish I had better items signed. Some of my early IPs were signed on random junk.

  13. Brian Pratt says:

    I wish I had taken better care of the ones I received as a kid my Yount, Molitor,Frank Robinson were either lost or destroyed.

  14. Aus says:

    I wish I had known that one day I would have a wife and kids and space for my autographed items at home would therefore be limited. I would’ve concentrated on having smaller items signed.

  15. Jack says:

    I wish I had known Michael Wacha signed TTM lol

  16. Rick McKinnon says:

    I wish I knew how different markers react with different surfaces. A lot of pictures and balls have faded or smeared over the years because I didn’t do the research.

  17. Rj lopez says:

    I wish I knew more about premium items for certain levels of players so I coil have dropped better things on them when I started.

  18. Z.L. says:

    That cheap baseballs weren’t good for autographs. Also wish I had used blue sharpies instead of black ones.

  19. Josh Beebe says:

    I wish I would have known how special each autograph is. It doesnt matter if it’s a minor leaguer or a bench MLB-er. Each athlete has taken time to sign your item and each item has a story. I never use to take care of my autographs, and now I am paying for it.

  20. Rob Gibson says:

    I wish I knew how much fun I could have collecting autographs with my son. He’s 10 now, and we just started last year. I actually started back in 1989. But had I known how much fun it was going to be to collect with him, and see his face when he gets a return on an autograph he’s always wanted, I would’ve started years ago. I get to experience Christmas morning with him everyday when the mail comes in… That is worth any price to collect.

  1. November 7, 2013

    […] formative days and what I wish I knew when I started. I also posed the question to you in my recent Reggie Jackson autograph giveaway—what do you wish you knew when you started collecting? (Sixty-nine of you responded—thank […]

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