If you fancy starting your own autograph collection (maybe with the aim of having something worth a fortune in the future - maybe for your retirement, or your kids...?), follow these pointers from a professional autograph hunter:
Why you should always carry white cards around with you
- If you live or work in a major city and are serious about
collecting signatures then it is worth carrying a couple of
white cards in your pocket just in case. It's virtually
impossible to walk around Soho for example, without
bumping in to at least two celebrities, and they are
usually very happy to oblige if you're polite and don't
take up too much time.
- If you know a cabby, ask him out for a pint! If you know
a cabbie and he picks up fares in town, pack him with
white cards and ask him to ask for you. Cabbies are
generally well loved, and a celebrity, even a notoriously
picky one, will usually say yes, because they feel
comfortable and safe in the cab.
- Go to a bookshop. There are now many signings in the
major bookshops and, as long as you buy a book, the
signature's easy AND FREE. If you're able to, try and
get a picture of the star too. If you decide to sell for a
handsome profit, the photo can be used as evidence -
though there's no evidence that it's THAT book they're
signing. Don't be too greedy. I saw one guy pounce on
Paul McCartney with armfuls of CDs, pictures and
records that it looked like he'd spent his whole life
collecting. Needless to say, ONE CD was signed
- Just ask! Many celebrities will send you their
autographs for nothing, if you write to the show that
they appear in (you won't generally have to worry
about the secretaries doing these ones!)
- Never forget the markets and car boots. About ten
years ago a friend of mine was walking around a market
in the West Country asking if anyone had autograph
books. One guy said he had one from the forties and
fifties, which a girl had kept at the stage door of her
local theatre.
There were many stars of the day in there but the reason for the £180 price tag was a page with Laurel and Hardy on it.
Sounds a lot, but the value of that one photo nowadays...?
Around £800-£1200. Not a bad profit for one day at a car
boot sale.
I hope that's given you a little inspiration to look past the usual ways to make money and search turn something you're interested in into a source of income - maybe not today or tomorrow, but in a few years time. Because a few years time is going to whiz past faster than we expect.
No comments:
Post a Comment